Electrical resistance and the timedependent oxidation of semicontinuous bismuth filmsThe electrical resistance of carbon films sputtered under high Ar pressure and low bias was observed to increase by as much as 200% when the films were exposed to the atmosphere for a period of several days. Substrate temperature and sputtering power had no effect on the time dependence of the resistance. The time dependence of the resistance appears to be related to the formation of a porous structure when films are sputtered under high Ar pressure and low bias. The increase in resistance noted when sputtered carbon films were exposed to air bears some similarity to aging behavior observed for discontinuous metal films. The initial resistivity of the films was dependent on Ar pressure, bias, substrate temperature and power.