Growth of polycrystalline Ag/Ni multilayers at room temperature

Ag/Ni multilayers have been grown on oxidized Si(100) substrates by dc magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The Ag thickness is varied in the range 2.5-20 Å. A combination of X-ray reflectivity, diffraction and transmission electron microscopy shows that the films have excellent layering for all Ag thicknesses. This is due to the use of an amorphous AlZr wetting layer which promotes smooth, layered growth of the Ag and Ni. The results demonstrate the feasibility of growing good quality multilayers of high mobility metals on oxide substrates without substrate cooling.