Optimization of SnO2/Ag/SnO2 tri-layer films as transparent composite electrode with high figure of merit

Abstract SnO 2 /Ag/SnO 2 tri-layer films were prepared on quartz glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering of SnO 2 and DC magnetron sputtering of Ag. The influence of Ag layer thickness and SnO 2 layer thickness on electrical and optical properties of the tri-layer films was investigated. Several analytical tools such as Hall measurements, four-point probe and ultraviolet–visible-near infrared spectrophotometer were used to explore the causes of the changes in electrical and optical properties. For the tri-layer film with top and bottom SnO 2 thickness of 50 nm and intermediate Ag thickness of 5 nm, it exhibits the maximum figure of merit of 6.0 × 10 − 2 Ω − 1 with sheet resistance of 9.67 Ω/sq., resistivity of 1.0 × 10 − 4 Ω·cm and the average transmittance is 94.8% in the visible light region (400–800 nm).