Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering of Strongly Thermochromic VO2-Based Coatings with a Transition Temperature of 22 °C onto Ultrathin Flexible Glass

The reversible semiconductor-to-metal transition of vanadium dioxide (VO2) makes VO2-based coatings a promising candidate for thermochromic smart windows, reducing the energy consumption of buildings. This paper deals with maximizing the application potential of these coatings in terms of their performance, an industry-friendly preparation technique, and an industrially relevant substrate. We present a scalable sputter deposition technique for the preparation of strongly thermochromic ZrO2/V0.984W0.016O2/ZrO2 coatings on ultrathin flexible glass and standard glass at a relatively low substrate surface temperature (330 °C) and without any substrate bias voltage. The V0.984W0.016O2 layers were deposited by a controlled high-power impulse magnetron sputtering of a V target, combined with a simultaneous pulsed dc magnetron sputtering of a W target. We explain the fundamental principles of this technique using the discharge characteristics measured for both discharges. We characterize the coating structure (X-ray diffraction) and a wide range of optical properties (spectrophotometry and spectroscopic ellipsometry). We find that the coatings combine a transition temperature of 22 °C, a luminous transmittance approaching 50%, a modulation of the solar energy transmittance over 10% and a temperature-independent color. The results in general, and the successful transfer from a standard glass to the ultrathin flexible glass in particular, are crucial for future applications of the coatings on smart windows.