Optical Studies of Ag 2 O Thin Film Prepared by Electron Beam Evaporation Method

Abstract

Silver oxide (Ag 2 O) thin films were deposited on glass substrates using electron beam gun evaporation techniques without oxygen atmosphere. The deposited films were post annealed at 100˚C, 150˚C, and 200˚C, respectively. The surface morphologies, structural and optical properties at different annealing temperatures were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and ultra-violet-visible spectroscopy. The XRD results show that the intensity of (200) plane intensified as the annealing temperature increased from 100˚C to 200˚C. The XRD spectra reveal that the films are polycrystalline, having cubic structure irrespective of post annealing temperatures. The optical band gap of Ag 2 O thin films decreases from 1.716 eV to 1.559 eV as the annealing temperature increases from 100˚C to 200˚C.