Diamond Coatings R&D ITO Coated Glass Slides

Diamond Coatings Inc. offer an extensive range of ITO coated glass slides, including a comprehensive selection of high—quality ITO glass slides featuring a Si0₂ barrier layer, which were developed specifically for R&D laboratories. Here is why…

Available ITO Slide Grades and Sizes

Comparatively inexpensive to produce; available not only in standard but also chemically and thermally toughened options and easily cut into required sizes, soda lime glass is our most popular, most used glass type.

Vacuum depositing a transparent, highly conductive layer of indium tin oxide (or ITO) – In₂O₅Sn – onto soda lime slides furnishes the coated slides with the optoelectronic and electronic properties necessary to meet the requirements of many medical, scientific and R&D applications and projects.

We currently supply ITO coated slides in three different grades:

• Standard 4.5 ohms/sq., 82% transmittance ITO coating
• Standard 15 ohm/sq., 88% transmittance ITO coating
• OLED grade 15ohm/sq., 86% transmittance ITO coating (the surface of which is smoother than the surfaces of the Standard options)

Currently available standard ITO slide sizes include:

• 20 mm x 10 mm
• 25 mm x 25 mm
• 75 mm x 25 mm

We can also supply ITO coated glass slides cut to diverse other sizes up to a maximum of 400 mm x 500 mm.

The Problem with ITO Coatings on Soda Lime Glass

The problem with using soda lime glass for slides is that approximately 14wt% (14 g per 100 g) of soda lime glass consists of sodium oxide (Na₂O) – and sodium ions tend to naturally leak (diffuse) out of the glass into the ITO layer.

Caused by annealing and potentially leading to both increased electrical resistivity and structural defects within the ITO layer, this diffusion can significantly affect not only the optoelectronic/electronic properties, overall performance and longevity of said layer, but also those of any devices grown upon it.

ITO Coated Glass Slides with Si0₂ Barrier

The diffusion of sodium ions between soda lime glass and ITO coatings can, however, be inhibited by a thin barrier layer of silicon oxide (Si0₂). Our ITO coated R&D slides therefore consist of 1.1 mm thick soda lime glass to which a 25 nm layer of Si0₂ has been applied prior to deposition of the ITO layer.

Nestled between the glass and the ITO coating, this sodium oxide barrier inhibits the diffusion of sodium ions and thereby increases both our ITO glass slides’ quality and their durability.

More Information

To learn more, please contact our friendly technical team, who will be happy to provide you with more information on ITO glass slides/other products within our range and provide you with advice and assistance in finding the perfect solution/s to meet your R&D department’s specific requirements.