Gold films of from 600 to 3200 Å thickness were deposited in poor vacuum intentionally, and were annealed at various temperatures up to 600°C. The tensile fracture of the films was measured in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The fracture strain decreased from 4.2% to 1.8% with the increase of the film thickness, and it was higher than that of films prepared in good vacuum and that of films prepared at the same pressure of pure argon. The effect of impurities on the fracture characteristics was also investigated with an electron microscope. The existence of WO
3, which could be observed in Au films deposited in poor vacuum with SEM/WDX techniques and electron diffraction, seems to affect the fracture strain.
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