Au thin films deposited on SnO2:In and glass: Substrate effects on the optical and electrical properties

We report on a detailed study on the optical and electrical properties of Au films made by sputter deposition onto glass substrates with and without transparent and electrically conducting layers of SnO2:In. The Au films had thicknesses up to 10.7 nm and hence spanned the range for thin film growth from discrete islands, via large scale coalescence and formation of a meandering conducting network, to the formation of a more or less “holey” film. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy demonstrated that the SnO2:In films were considerably rougher than the glass itself, and this roughness influenced the Au film formation so that large scale coalescence set in at a somewhat larger thickness for films on SnO2:In than on glass. Measurements of spectral optical transmittance and reflectance and of electrical resistance gave a fully consistent picture that could be reconciled with impeded Au film formation on the SnO2:In layer; this led to pronounced “plateaus” in the near infrared optical spectra for Au films on SnO2:In and a concomitant change from such two-layer films having a lower resistance than the single gold film at thicknesses below large scale coalescence to the opposite behavior for larger film thicknesses. Our work highlights the importance of the substrate roughness for transparent conductors comprising coinage metal films backed by wide band gap transparent conducting oxides.