The emissivity and opto-electrical properties of ZnO/Cu/ZnO thin films for the vehicle applications

Transparent conducting films having a three layered structure of ZnO/Cu/ZnO (ZCZ) were deposited onto the glass substrates by using RF and DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The emissivity and opto-electrical properties of the films were investigated with a varying thickness(5, 10, 15 nm) of the Cu interlayer. With increasing the Cu thickness to 15 nm, the films showed a enhanced electrical properties. Although ZnO 30/Cu 15/ZnO 30 nm film shows a lower resistivity of 5.2×10−5Ωcm, it’s visible transmittance is deteriorated by increased optical absorbtion of the films. In addition, X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that the insertion of Cu interlayer improve the grain size of ZnO films, which is favor for the electrical and optical properties of transparent conducting films. From the observed low emissivity of the films, it is concluded that the ZCZ thin films with optimal thickness of Cu interlayer can be applied effectively for the car’s window coating materials