Optical monitoring of silver-based transparent heat mirrors.

Both three-layer (TiO(2)-Ag-TiO(2)) and five-layer (TiO(2)-Ag-TiO(2)-Ag-TiO(2)) heat mirrors with optimum transmission in the visible and good reflectance in the IR have been designed by admittance diagram techniques. The mirrors were fabricated successfully by optical monitoring. An interesting anomalous layer was found and explained, and its equivalent refractive index and thickness are 2.015 - i0.016 and 2.56 nm, respectively.