Preparation and properties of AZO/Ag/AZO thin films on PMMA substrates

AZO/Ag/AZO transparent conductive films were prepared on PMMA substrate by DC magnetron sputtering at low temperature (70 ℃). The effect of AZO sputtering power on the structure and properties of AZO/Ag/AZO thin films were investigated. In order to encapsulate AZO/Ag/AZO films, the films were laminated with another uncoated PMMA substrate and polyurethane film. Damp and heat resistance and heating performance of this laminated structure were discussed. The morphology and structure of the films were characterized by SEM, XRD and AFM. The results show that the sputtering power of AZO affects the surface energy of AZO layer and the crystallization of AZO/Ag/AZO films. The AZO/Ag/AZO films which prepared with AZO sputtering power of 100W and 150W exhibit the best performance with a low sheet resistance of 3.7 Ω/sq and a high transmittance of 86.1% at room temperature. The optical and electrical properties of PMMA laminated structure remain stable after 30 days of damp-heat experiment. The temperature-time curve during the heating process of the PMMA laminated structure at room temperature shows fast temperature response time and good temperature uniformity under 5 V DC voltage. The PMMA laminated structure exhibits saturation temperature stability in cold convection air (−10-−40 ℃).