Effects of Substrate Heating and Film Thickness on Properties of Silver-Based ZnO Multilayer Thin Films

We have studied the properties of Ag/undoped ZnO (ZnO) multilayer thin films deposited on glass substrates by facing target sputtering. In an attempt to determine the optimum conditions of the Ag thin film, which would be coated on the ZnO thin film, we investigated the changes in sheet resistance, transmittance, and surface morphology as functions of varying deposition time and substrate temperature. The electrical and optical characteristics of Ag/ZnO multilayers were evaluated using a four-point probe, and a UV/visible (vis) spectrometer with a spectral range of 390–770 nm, an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and a field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We prepared the Ag/ZnO multilayer thin film with a sheet resistance of 7.53 Ω/sq. and a transmittance of more than 80% at 550 nm.