5. Silver-based metallic thin films

5.1 Transparent metal coatings

Metallic materials generally have plasma wavelengths in the ultraviolet range, due in part to their very high carrier counts (for silver, λ _p = 140 nm and for aluminum, λ _p = 90 nm). These thin-film deposited materials are therefore essentially reflective and absorbent in the visible range. To maintain light transparency, thin layers (10 to 15 nm) are required. Metals likely to be used include silver, aluminum, copper, gold and tin.

The best low-emissivity performance corresponds to the lowest possible resistivity, which can be achieved with a high electron mobility value. Good metal layer crystallization tends to increase electron mobility....