Optimized transparent and heat reflecting oxide and nitride films

Abstract

Films of indium oxide and indium oxide doped with tin have been produced by reactive planar magnetron sputtering of the pure metal and the alloy and from two metal sources simultaneously. In each case the oxygen partial pressure was controlled to give the higher sheet resistance in the oxide film which was deposited onto a plastic sheet transferred over a drum at ambient temperature. Films prepared under these conditions with the best properties for heat reflecting and visible transparent filters were found to be the oxide of the pure metal. A radio frequency discharge used in conjunction with the magnetron allowed the operating pressure to be considerably reduced, which allowed the preparation of titanium nitride films from a titanium metal target and the construction of simple metal and dielectric-metal-dielectric filters, which match theoretical predictions. A sandwich filter could be made from one titanium target by varying the active gas between oxygen and nitrogen to give a structure of: TiO 2TiNTiO 2.