Abstract
Optical and electrical properties of Ag films deposited onto PET webs by sputtering are studied in dependence on the process parameters during deposition. The Ag layers were deposited onto a commercially available PET substrate (Melinex® 400) by DC magnetron sputtering. The optical properties of the samples were analyzed by ellipsometry and VIS/NIR spectroscopy. The electrical properties of the thin Ag films were characterized by four-point-probe measurements. The optical constants for bulk Ag were found to describe the thin films accurately only above a critical thickness d c . This critical thickness depends on the process parameters during deposition and is found to vary between 12 and 18 nm. The results indicate, that the critical thickness marks a transition in the growth mode of Ag thin films from well separated islands to a continuous film.
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