Properties of nickel thin films on polyimide substrata for HF bolometers

Abstract

Nickel thin films, especially when grown on polyimide substrata by means of sputtering techniques, have proven to be the best basic components for the realization of high-frequency power sensors. However, some discrepancies exist in the values of the electrical resistivity and temperature coefficient used to evaluate the performances of the Ni thin film bolometers. Experimental work is presented concerning the study of the physical behaviour of a 10 nm Ni film with the aim of providing accurate measurements of the abovementioned parameters. The experimental data disagree slightly with Matthiessen's rule, but an explanation of this unexpected deviation has been found without questioning the validity of the rule.