Thermochromic properties of VO2 thin film on SiNx buffered glass substrate

VO2 thin films were deposited on soda lime glass substrates with silicon nitride sodium-diffusion barrier layer as diffusion barrier, in order to investigate the effect of sodium ion diffusion on the formation of VO2. SiNx layers with thicknesses over 30 nm were found to successfully prevent sodium ion diffusion in VO2 thin film and also contribute to the formation of VO2 thin film, which was confirmed by XRD spectra and XPS measurements. The change of infrared transmittance at 2500 nm wavelength with temperature change from room temperature to 80 °C was increased significantly, and the optical hysteresis width of the sample decreased by almost 6 K as well. The results suggest that applying diffusion barrier can improve the thermochromic properties of the VO2 films for energy-saving smart coatings, and silicon nitride can be one of the effective materials to prevent sodium ion diffusion.