STRUCTURAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF SPUTTERED SILVER OXIDE THIN FILMS: THE EFFECT OF THIN FILM THICKNESS

Silver oxide thin films were deposited by sputtering the silver metal on glass substrates in flow of O-2/Ar gas. The thin film thickness changed from 54 to 236 nm as the sputtering time changes. Both of the X-ray diffraction and the scanning electron microscopy studies show the dependence of the film structure on the film thickness. Silver oxide exists in different crystalline phases. The lowest as-deposited film thickness has major phase Ag2O. By increasing the film thickness, Ag2O3 phase becomes major phase beside Ag2O. The annealing films at 250 degrees C shows both of Ag2O and Ag2O3 phases beside Ag metal phase. Furthermore, Ag2O3 phase appears as tiny phase at film thickness of 116 and 180 nm. The surface morphology of such films reveals different shapes. Fine crystallites, big particles were observed besides dominating like-sheets through all samples.