Highly transparent and conductive ITO/ultra-thin silver/ITO/glass sandwich structure for optical coatings and optoelectronic devices

This study presents an approach for fabricating highly transparent and conductive electrodes on glass substrates by depositing stable, continuous, and ultra-thin silver films between optimized layers of indium tin oxide. Exceptional thermal stability is achieved and annealing at 200°C in vacuum and air enhances the film’s optical and electrical performance. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms improved crystallization, marked with the emergence of a silver (200) peak after annealing in air. The resulting electrodes demonstrate outstanding transparency, conductivity, and thermal stability, making them potential for use in architectural glass coatings and optoelectronic applications, such as photovoltaics and displays. Graphical abstract