Slope analysis and scaling analysis of electrodeposited thin films

We introduce slope analysis as a straightforward complement to scaling analysis for characterizing the morphology of electrodeposited thin films. The surface slope theta, defined as the angle between the local surface normal and the film normal, is calculated as a function of position for electrodeposited Cu films of increasing thickness t. We show that the mean value of theta increases with t and demonstrate the close relationship between this observation and the increase in local roughness found in previous studies from scaling analysis. (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.