Plasmonics Properties of ZnO/Ag/ZnO Multilayer Thin Films

Abstract

The optical properties of ZnO (Zinc Oxide)/Ag (silver)/ZnO (Zinc Oxide)/glass multilayer structure have been investigated. These properties could be tuned using the plasmonic properties of the intermediate Ag layer. ZnO thin film of 80 nm thickness has been deposited using Spray Pyrolysis on Glass Substrate. Prior to the deposition of approximately same thickness of ZnO like the previous one, a thin layer of Ag with thicknesses varying from 0.5 nm to 10 nm have been deposited using Vacuum Deposition. We have correlated the properties of multilayer thin film with thickness and morphology of the intermediate silver layer. Crystallographic properties of thin films have been characterized using XRD (X-ray Diffraction). Surface Morphology of Ag layer on ZnO has been studied using AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy). UV-VIS Spectrometer has been used to measure the optical transparency of these multilayer thin films. It has been observed that optical transparency of ZnO/Ag/ZnO/Glass thin film on glass substrate slightly enhanced compared to ZnO/ZnO/Glass. We interpret these experimental results with Maxwell-Garnett theory. The simulated and experimental SPR (Surface Plasmon Resonance) positions of ZnO/Ag/ZnO thin films are well matched. We expect that MG Theory interpretation of these kind Dielectric/Metal/Dielectric multilayer thin films were applicable only for Metallic Island thin films deposited using Vacuum coating method. We also describe the influence of Ag thickness on optical properties of the ZnO/Ag/ZnO composite and suggest a mechanism of tunability influenced by surface plasmons.