Optical and structural properties of metal-dielectric near-infrared cutoff filters for plasma display panel application

Electromagnetic interference shielding and near-infrared cutoff filters for plasma display panel application were designed and fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Three types of the filters were prepared: the basic structure of type A consisted of [$TiO_2$ Ti Ag $TiO_2$]; type B, of [$TiO_2$ ITO Ag $TiO_2$]; type C, of [$TiO_2$ ITO Ag ITO $TiO_2$]. Ti and ITO layers deposited on Ag layers were employed as barriers to prevent the oxidation and the diffusion of Ag film into the adjacent oxide layers. Optical, electrical, chemical, and structural properties were investigated, and the result shows that the filters with the ITO barrier layers provided an enhancement in transmittance in the visible owing to a lower absorption of ITO layers than Ti layers. Type C filter showed better optical and electrical performances and smoother surface roughness than Type B and C filters: the average sheet resistance was as low as 1.51 $\Omega\Box$ (where $\square$ stands for a square film), the peak transmittance in the visible was as high as 78.2 %, and the average surface roughness was 1.48 nm.