Structural, optical and electrical properties of PVC/Au thin films prepared by sputtering process

Abstract

Optical, structural and electrical properties of Au thin films (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 nm) deposited on poly(vinyl chloride) substrates by sputtering process were investigated. The deposition of gold thin layers was carried out under low pressure at room temperature. UV/VIS characterization demonstrated the presence of surface plasmon peak corresponds to Au nano thin film at about 500–550 nm. The intensity of the peak was increased as the layer thickness increased. Structural investigation using FTIR technique illustrated that the deposited gold thin layer onto PVC surface was largely affected by the shape and position of the functional groups of PVC substrate. The electrical properties of PVC/sputtered gold thin films were investigated at room temperature over a wide range of frequency (20 Hz up to 5 × 106 Hz). The dc conductivity increased from 2.63 × 10−14 S/m for pure PVC sample up to 9.54 × 10−13 S/m for 80 nm Au thin layer, while the resistance decreased from 3.17 × 1012 (Ώ) down to 9.54 × 1010 (Ώ) (97% decrement).