The effect of electromagnetic pulses on surface roughness and fluctuations in electrical conductivity of metal films

The effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields on metal films, which are the basis of modern micro- and nanoelectronics, can lead to changes in their conductivity characteristics and surface properties. The paper aims to study the effect of electromagnetic pulses on the surface condition of thin metallic films of Bi, Cr and Fe and to investigate the effect of electromagnetic pulses on their conductivity and conductivity variations of the films. Surface roughness measurements were performed using a SOLVER PRO probe scanning microscope. In order to study the fluctuations of the film conductivity, a setup was set up that allowed measurements to be made around the clock for several months. The samples were exposed to nanosecond electromagnetic pulses without carrier frequency for 30 minutes. It was found that such exposure most strongly changed the surface roughness of chromium film, to a lesser extent - bismuth film, and for iron film exposure did not cause significant changes in the surface. The iron film also proved to be the most resistant to exposure in the conductivity study. Its resistivity and variation remained virtually unchanged. Exposure of the film to bismuth resulted in a 2-3 times decrease in the average number of conductivity jumps and bursts. Exposure to chromium film resulted in a similar effect and a twofold decrease in the level of small-scale fluctuations of electrical conductivity.