Electrical Properties of Tin/Plasma Polymer Nanocomposites Investigated by 4 Point Probe Technique

Composites metal/dielectric can be obtained by embedding metal particles into an oxide or a dielectric matrix. The properties (like morphology, conductivity, adhesion ...) of such films are strongly dependent on their preparation method. In this work thin nanocomposite Sn/n-hexane layers were prepared by means of RF magnetron sputtering of the tin target in Ar:n-hexane working gas mixture. The power delivered to the magnetron and the composition of the working gas mixture were varied and the properties of the nanocomposites were modified. Resulting films were characterized by various analytical techniques. Chemical composition was examined by XPS, the composite structure was investigated by TEM and electron tomography. 2D cuts were made of the 3D TEM reconstructions and the numerical models were applied on them; form factor and average effective radius were estimated. The electrical properties were investigated by the 4 point probe technique. Our previous observations already proved, that the tin/plasma polymer composite films have not metal inclusions of regular shapes in the plasma polymer matrix. Using the electron tomography and reconstructions of real 3D structure of the nanocomposites together with the computer models, it is possible to study the relations between deposition parameters, morphology and electrical properties of the composites. This work is focused on the study of such relations.