Electrical and physical characteristics of WO3/Ag/WO3 sandwich structure fabricated with magnetic-control sputtering metrology

Abstract

In this work, three layers of transparent conductive films of WO3/Ag/WO3 (WAW) were deposited on a glass substrate by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The thicknesses of WO3 (around 50~60 nm) and Ag (10~20 nm) films were mainly the changeable factors to achieve the optimal transparent conductivity attempting to replace the indium tin oxide (ITO) in cost consideration. The prepared films were cardinally subjected to physical and electrical characteristic analyses by means of X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and Keithley 4200 semiconductor parameter analyzer. The experimental results show as the thickness of the Ag layer increases from 10 nm to 20 nm, the resistance becomes smaller. While the thickness of the WO3 layer increases from 50 nm to 60 nm, its electrical resistance becomes larger.