Effect of vacuum thermal-annealing temperatures on the microstructure and optical properties of single-phased Ag2 O film

A single-phased Ag-2 O film was deposited on glass substrate by direct-current reactive magnetron sputtering, and was then vacuum thermally annealed at different annealing temperatures (T-A) for 1 hour. Effect of the T-A on the film's microstructure and optical properties was investigated by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy and spectrophotometry. The results indicate that Ag nano-scaled particles begin to appear in the annealed Ag-2 O film at T-A = 300 degrees C. The Ag content obviously increases with increasing T-A, and in particular, Ag-2 O phase is completely transformed into Ag at T-A = 475 degrees C. The evolution of the film's surface morphology from dense to loose indicates that the diffusion and escape of 0 atoms from film surface accompanied the thermal decomposition reaction of Ag-2 O to Ag particles during the vacuum thermal annealing. The changes of the film's transmissivity, reflectivity and absorptivity with T-A are attributed to the thermal decomposition of Ag-2 O and the film's structure evolution during annealing.