Deposition and optical properties of optimised ZnS/Ag/ZnS thin films for energy saving applications

Dielectric/Metal/Dielectric (D/M/D) thin films deposited on glass offer the possibility of significant energy savings in buildings and can find other applications as components of advanced materials design. In an effort to reduce the complexity and cost of production of D/M/D films, physical vapour deposition was used for the laboratory manufacture of ZnS/Ag/ZnS films on glass. ZnS was used because of its high refractive index, ease of deposition and low cost; Ag was used because of its low absorption in the visible spectrum. The films produced were of good quality, with luminous transmittance as high as 83.9%, IR reflectance above 90% and total hemispherical emittance equal to 6%. The ZnS layers were found not only to antireflect the Ag layer, but also to stabilise the ZnS/Ag/ZnS film, improve its adherence on glass and increase the film thermal resistance up to 240 degrees C. A multipurpose computational optics tool based on the characteristic matrix formulation has been developed for the design and optimisation of the D/M/D films: The optimum thickness of each dielectric layer required to maximise the film luminous transmittance for a given metal layer thickness was established. The optical properties of the films designed were also predicted and the most suitable materials were identified. The optical properties of the films produced were measured and were found to compare favourably with the theoretical predictions. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.