Characteristics of sculptured Cu thin films and their optical properties as a function of deposition rate

Sculptured copper thin films were deposited on glass substrates, using different deposition rates. The nano-structure and morphology of the films were obtained, using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their optical properties were measured by spectrophotometry in the spectral range of 340-850 nm. The real and imaginary refractive indices, film thickness and fraction of metal inclusion in the film structure were obtained from optical fitting of the spectrophotometer data.