Improvement of high-temperature resistance of the Ag-based multilayer films deposited by magnetron sputtering

Abstract Ag-based films with the multilayer construction of top-Si 3 N 4 /SnO 2 /NiCrO x /Ag/ZnO/NiCrO x /TiO 2 /under-Si 3 N 4 were deposited on glass substrates by magnetron sputtering at room temperature, and then heated at 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, 650 °C and 700 °C for 5 min in the air. The effects of post-heated temperature on the optical and electrical properties of the advanced Ag-based Low-E glass were investigated. The results show that the multilayer films mainly contain a crystalline Ag layer with 3C structure and other amorphous layers. A transformation of the preferred orientation from (111) plane to (220) plane occurs at the temperature of 600 °C. The optimal overall performance of Ag-based Low-E films is obtained when heated at 600 °C for 5 min with the minimum sheet resistance of 5.10 Ω/□ and a lowest emissivity of 0.06 and the transmittance in the visible region of 79.40%. The high-temperature resistance of Ag-based films has been improved with this modified kind of multilayer construction.