The use of Au clusters produced in the gas phase and deposited at low kinetic energy on a substrate allows the bottom-up fabrication of nanostructured metallic thin films with an extremely large number of interfaces, grain boundary junctions and crystal lattice defects. Cluster-assembled gold films exhibit non-ohmic electrical transport properties with a complex resistive switching behavior, exploring discrete resistance states which depend on their structural features (average thickness, resistance value reached on the percolation curve). Their electric conduction properties can be modelled in terms of complex networks of nanojunctions and used to perform binary classification of Boolean functions. The fabrication of devices based on cluster-assembled Au films and exploiting emergent complexity and collective phenomena requires a deep understanding of the influence of the nanoscale structure on the fundamental mechanisms of electrical conduction. Here we present a detailed study of the correlation between the nanostructure and the electrical properties of cluster-assembled gold films by a systematic characterization of the film growth from sub-monolayer to continuous layer beyond the electrical percolation threshold. The influence of different cluster size distributions on the onset of the electrical conduction and the role of defects is investigated by combining in situ and ex situ electrical and structural characterizations.

使用在气相中产生并以低动能沉积在衬底上的 Au 簇允许自下而上制造具有大量界面、晶界结和晶格缺陷的纳米结构金属薄膜。簇组装金膜表现出具有复杂电阻切换行为的非欧姆电传输特性，探索取决于其结构特征（平均厚度，渗透曲线上达到的电阻值）的离散电阻状态。它们的导电特性可以根据复杂的纳米结网络进行建模，并用于执行布尔函数的二元分类。基于簇组装金膜的器件制造并利用涌现的复杂性和集体现象需要深入了解纳米级结构对导电基本机制的影响。在这里，我们通过系统表征从亚单层到超过电渗流阈值的连续层的薄膜生长，详细研究了纳米结构与簇组装金薄膜的电性能之间的相关性。通过结合原位和非原位电学和结构表征，研究了不同簇尺寸分布对导电开始的影响和缺陷的作用。在这里，我们通过系统表征从亚单层到超过电渗流阈值的连续层的薄膜生长，详细研究了纳米结构与簇组装金薄膜的电性能之间的相关性。通过结合原位和非原位电学和结构表征，研究了不同簇尺寸分布对导电开始的影响和缺陷的作用。在这里，我们通过系统表征从亚单层到超过电渗流阈值的连续层的薄膜生长，详细研究了纳米结构与簇组装金薄膜的电性能之间的相关性。通过结合原位和非原位电学和结构表征，研究了不同簇尺寸分布对导电开始的影响和缺陷的作用。