Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Polycrystalline lithium fluoride thin films have a number of existing and potential uses, but the optimization of their microstructure has not yet been addressed systematically. We have developed a means of measuring the porosity in LiF films, and a method for performing detailed electron-microscopical studies on this normally beam-sensitive material. These techniques have been applied to assess the structure of LiF films immediately after deposition from the vapor phase, and also after subsequent annealing.