Process Control by Optical Emission Spectroscopy During Reactive Magnetron Sputtering of NiVxOy Electrochromic Coatings

This paper presents a study on the development and optimisation of thin films of nickel-vanadium oxide (NiVxOy) deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering (RMS) controlled by P.E.M. (plasma emission monitoring). The hysteresis behaviour of the Ni emission signal as a function of oxygen incorporation was analysed using optical emission spectroscopy (OES), enabling the identification of critical working points along the hysteresis loop and their correlation with film growth mechanisms. Compared to the non-monotonic nature of the target discharge voltage signal, OES provided a simplified response for real-time process control. A set of coatings was deposited under various working pressures (0.6 and 2.0 Pa) and plasma emission monitoring (P.E.M.) conditions and was thoroughly characterised in terms of microstructure, composition, optical modulation, and electrochemical performance. Films deposited at high pressure and under 30% P.E.M. conditions showed an optimal balance between optical modulation (21%) and charge density (4 mC/cm2), which was attributed to the increased Ni3+ content and the surface cracks at low density.