Effect of TaN x on electrical and optical properties of annealed TaN x /Ag/TaN x films

As‐deposited Ag(10 nm)/glass films exhibited agglomerated nanocrystals with seemingly thick boundaries. Introduction of a TaN x layer below the Ag films resulted in dense and smooth structures, with a resistance at least three times lower than that of Ag/glass. For TaN x (10 nm)/Ag(10 nm)/TaN x (10 nm)/glass multilayer films, Auger electron spectroscopy results indicate that TaN x acts as an effective barrier restraining the diffusion of Ag. After annealing (up to 573 K), no outward diffusion of Ag through either TaN x layer was seen. However, partial oxidation of the outermost TaN x layer to form Ta 2 O 5 was observed. The films showed promising optical properties with 73% transmittance in the visible region and ~15% average transmittance in the near‐infrared region. The optical data obtained here was in good agreement with simulated predictions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.