Characterization of Ag oxide thin films prepared by reactive RF sputtering

Ag oxide thin films were grown on glass substrates by sputtering an Ag target in an Ar + O-2 mixed gas. Effects Of O-2 flow ratio on resistivity, reflectance and transmittance of the Ag oxide films were studied. Crystal structure and chemical binding state of the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Ag films with a resistivity of 4muOmegacm and a reflectance of 98% were obtained at O-2 flow ratios below 5%. The increase of resistivity and the decrease of reflectance were observed with increasing O-2 flow ratio due to the formation of mixed films of Ag and Ag oxide. Above an O-2 flow ratio of 40%, the transmittance of the films increased and semitransparent Ag2O films with resistivity of an order of 10(8)Omegacm were formed. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.