Asymmetric silver to oxide adhesion in multilayers deposited on glass by sputtering

We have developed a wedge-loaded double-cantilever beam adhesion measurement set-up for thin films deposited on glass by sputtering. The test is described in details. Results on the Glass/sublayer/Ag/ZnO multilayer provide evidence that SnO2 or TiO2 perform better than ZnO as a sublayer. Then however, rupture within the multilayer shifts to the upper Ag/ZnO interface. The latter is shown to be tougher than the lower ZnO/Ag interface, an asymmetry due to non-equilibrium interfacial structures.