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

TaNx(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 TaNx film thickness. The partial oxidation of TaNx was observed in TaNx(3 & 5 nm)/Ag(10 nm)/Si(3 nm)/glass at 300 °C 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 TaNx(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.