Detection of Silver Oxide Film Sandwiched in a Multilayer Dielectric Stack by Raman Spectrometry

Abstract

Experiments were performed to detect the presence of thin silver oxide films by Raman spectrometry. Samples consisted of multilayer stacks of ZnO/Ag/ZnO films deposited on glass substrates by a sputtering process. A range of samples was produced where the sandwiched Ag film was protected and unprotected from oxidation during the deposition of the top ZnO film. Raman spectra showed that the individual oxide layers of ZnO and Ag-O on glass substrates had characteristic bands in the spectra. Analysis of the stacks indicated that the samples in which the Ag film was unprotected during the deposition of the top ZnO showed the presence of a typical Ag-O band. It was concluded that Raman spectroscopy is a sensitive, nondestructive technique for the detection of silver oxide layers in a multilayer system.