Optical Properties and Thermal Stability of Ultrathin TaN_x-Ag-Si Films for Low Emissivity Applications

Title:Optical Properties and Thermal Stability of Ultrathin TaN_x-Ag-Si Films for Low Emissivity Applications

Volume: 10 Issue: 1

Author(s): Sivasankar Reddy Akepati, Chadrasekhar Loka, Ho Tak Yu and Kee-Sun Lee

Affiliation:

Keywords: Low emissivity, multi-layers, optical properties, sputtering, thermal stability, ultrathin films.

Abstract: TaN_x(1, 3 & 5 nm) films deposited on the Ag(10 nm)/Si(3 nm)/glass show dense microstructure, and this structure was stable even after annealing at 300 °C in Ar (80%) + O₂ (20%) ambient for 5 min. The RMS (Root Mean Square) roughness of the films decreased with increasing the TaN_x film thickness. The partial oxidation of TaN_x was observed in TaN_x(3 & 5 nm)/Ag(10 nm)/Si(3 nm)/glass at 300 ^oC annealing temperature, but no Ag diffusion happened at this temperature. It indicates that no outward diffusion of Ag occurred during the annealing. The as deposited and annealed TaN_x(1, 3 & 5 nm)/Ag(10 nm)/Si(3 nm)/glass films showed better transmittance than Ag(10 nm)/glass films in the visible region. The optical data obtained here was in good agreement with simulated predictions.

Cite this article as:

Reddy Akepati Sivasankar, Loka Chadrasekhar, Tak Yu Ho and Lee Kee-Sun, Optical Properties and Thermal Stability of Ultrathin TaN_x-Ag-Si Films for Low Emissivity Applications, Current Nanoscience 2014; 10 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1573413709666131109005216