Influence of thermal relaxation and ion bombardment on the electronic properties of amorphous SiAu films

Effects of thermal relaxation on amorphous SiAu films are investigated by means of photoelectron spectroscopy and measurements of the electrical resistivity and specific heat. Annealing of the films in the amorphous state increases the resistivity and reduces the electronic density of states at the Fermi energy. These relaxation effects can be reversed by irradiation with 5 keV argon ions at low temperature. The results are discussed in the framework of structural relaxation, clustering and a scaling theory. (author)