Effect of glass tempering on microstructure and functional properties of SnO 2 :F thin film prepared by atmosphere pressure chemical vapor deposition

The low-emission glass was prepared via depositing fluorine-doped tin oxide thin film on glass substrate by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition method. The as-deposited low-emission glass was found to present a SnO2:F/SiCxOy/glass sandwich structure via focused ion beam technique and transmission microscopic measurement. After tempering process at ~650°C with varied periods, the electrical and optical properties of the SnO2:F thin film remained stable for less than 10min, but decreased dramatically when the tempering period exceeded 10min, which was mainly due to the oxygen chemisorptions and fluorine ion diffusion. It was observed that the SnO2:F thin films presented uniform polycrystalline nature of cassiterite structure throughout the tempering process. The study has therefore suggested the appropriate tempering conditions for the SnO2:F low-emission glass, and provided a critical guidance for further energy-saving glass applications.