Mechanical and optical properties of ITO films with anti-reflective and anti-wear coatings

Abstract

In this study, radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtered ITO films were coated with reactively sputtered SiO 2 films. The microhardness, pull-off strength, scratch adhesion strength, optical transmittance and reflectance of the SiO 2 /ITO/substrate system are investigated. Coating of SiO 2 enhances both the hardness and pull-off strength and reduces the scratch critical load of the system. The optical transmittance in the visible range is also improved with the addition of SiO 2 .