The effects of the doping elements on the optical properties of silver-based alloy layers for storage media usage

The effects of doping with copper and titanium on the optical properties of a silver alloy layer for storage media usage were investigated in this study. Doped silver alloy thin films were deposited using specially prepared targets and direct current (DC) sputtering. The results show that copper content ranging from 0.5 wt.% (AC0.5) to 1.5 wt.% (AC1.5) enhances the uniformity of thin film and reduces its grain size. For environmental stability, titanium was introduced, although this dopant will decrease the reflectivity of the silver-based alloy thin films. The silver alloy thin films with 1 wt.% titanium (ACT1) have good corrosion-resistant behavior. Films with 3 wt.% titanium (ACT3) are difficult to manufacture since the uniformity of the mechanical properties is poor and the grain size is coarser.