Sol-gel Spin-Coated Si₃N₄ Thin Film Coated on Glass Substrate for Anti-reflection Coating Applications
J. Environ. Nanotechnol., Volume 15, No 2 (June 2026) pp. 176-182
Abstract
Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) is a ceramic material which is thermodynamically stable with high temperature environment.
Silicon nitride thin films find widespread scientific use in solar cells, micro and nano fabrication, antireflection coating
(ARC), etc. In this work, Si₃N₄ thin film was deposited on the glass substrate using sol-gel synthesis and spin-coater
deposition techniques for anti-reflection coating. The as-deposited thin film was annealed at 500℃for its stable structural
and optical properties. UV-visible reflectance spectrum revealed the maximum reflectance of 9.26% at a central wavelength
of 805 nm, and XRD confirmed the α-Si₃N₄ phase with a crystallite size of 33 nm. The FTIR transmittance spectrum indicated
the functional groups of the Si₃N₄ thin film such as low intensity of Si–N characteristic peaks, suggesting minimal nitride
content, while the EDS spectrum confirmed the presence of the primary elements Si and N. The topography and roughness
of the Si₃N₄ thin film were investigated using AFM, and the average grain size was calculated as 1.8 nm.
Full Text
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