Structural and optoelectronic properties of indium doped SnO2 thin films deposited by sol gel technique

Indium doped tin oxide (SnO₂:In) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by sol–gel dip coating technique. X-ray diffraction pattern of SnO₂:In thin films annealed at 500 °C showed tetragonal phase with preferred orientation in T (110) plane. The grain size of tin oxide (SnO₂) in SnO₂:In thin films are found to be 6 nm which makes them suitable for gas sensing applications. AFM studies showed an inhibition of grain growth with increase in indium concentration. The rms roughness value of SnO₂:In thin films are found to 1 % of film thickness which makes them suitable for optoelectronic applications. The film surface revealed a kurtosis values below 3 indicating relatively flat surface which make them favorable for the production of high-quality transparent conducting electrodes for organic light-emitting diodes and flexible displays. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy gives Sn 3d, In 3d and O 1s spectra on SnO₂:In thin film which revealed the presence of oxygen vacancies in the SnO₂:In thin film. These SnO₂:In films acquire n-type conductivity for 0–3 mol% indium doping concentration and p type for 5 and 7 mol% indium doping concentration in SnO₂ films. An average transmittance of >80 % (in ultra-violet–Vis region) was observed for all the SnO₂:In films he In doped SnO₂ thin films demonstrated the tailoring of band gap values. Photoluminescence spectra of the films exhibited an increase in the emission intensity with increase in indium doping concentration which may be due structural defects or luminescent centers, such as nanocrystals and defects in the SnO₂.     

Structural characterization of sputtered indium oxide films deposited at room temperature

Structural evolution of indium oxide thin films deposited at room temperature by reactive magnetron sputtering and annealing in a reducing atmosphere were investigated. The as deposited indium oxide (In₂O₃) films showed a dominating randomly oriented nanocrystalline structure of cubic In₂O₃. The grain size decreased with increasing oxygen concentration in the plasma. Annealing in reducing atmospheres (vacuum, nitrogen and argon), besides improving the crystallinity, led to a partial cubic to rhombohedral phase transition in the indium oxide films. Annealing improved the optical properties of the indium oxide film and shifted the absorption edge to higher energies.     

Effect of acetic acid on ZnO:In transparent conductive oxide prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

Undoped and indium doped zinc oxide (ZnO) transparent conductive oxide were prepared by a low-cost Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis. The influence of acetic acid on properties of the ZnO thin films was investigated. The complex formed by [CH₃COO⁻] and [Zn²⁺] in precursor solution was better for the growth of ZnO film. The acetic acid added in precursor solution can supply [CH₃COO⁻] for both [Zn²⁺] and [In³⁺] to form complexes. That made the [Zn²⁺] and [In³⁺] have similar statement, which can promote the indium doping in the ZnO films. The surface morphology, structural and electrical properties of the ZnO thin films were influenced by the acetic acid adding. The total transmittance of the ZnO thin films is above 80% in the wide wavelength region from 400 nm to 2000 nm.     

A study of crystallographic phases in non-stoichiometric (oxygen deficiency) indium oxide thin films

Indium oxide is a well-known transparent conductive oxide (TCO) in its stoichiometric composition (In₂O₃). Its electrical and optical properties are strongly influenced by the chemical composition. This work focuses on an experimental investigation of the crystallographic phases in non-stoichiometric (oxygen deficiency) compositions of indium oxide thin films. The thin films were deposited at 300 °C by reactive sputtering of pure indium target at different oxygen gas flow rates on Si substrates. Two different phases are identified only in the non-stoichiometric compositions: metallic indium- and crystalline indium-rich oxide. The metallic indium phase appears as nano-crystals, a few nano-meters in diameter, evenly dispersed and occupies only 1 vol. % of the film. These metallic nano-particles have a negligible effect on the optical transparency and electrical conductivity of the films. The indium-rich oxide (In_xO_y) phase which occupies about 99 vol. % of the film has the bixbyite crystallographic structure and average grain size of about 50 nm. This phase has a pronounced effect on improving the TCO figure-of-merit (FM) relative to stoichiometric crystalline In₂O₃ films due to a higher increase of the electrical conductivity than the decrease of the optical transparency.     

Low indium content In–Zn–O system towards transparent conductive films: structure,properties and comparison with AZO and GZO

In this work, low content indium doped zinc oxide (IZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering using IZO ceramic targets with the In₂O₃ doping content of 2, 6, and 10 wt%, respectively. The influences of In₂O₃ doping content and substrate temperature on the structure and morphology, electrical and optical properties, and environmental stability of IZO thin films were investigated. It was found that the 6 wt% doped IZO thin film deposited at 150?°C exhibited the best crystal quality and the lowest resistivity of 9.87?×?10^?4 Ω cm. The corresponding Hall mobility and carrier densities were 9.20 cm² V^?1 s^?1 and 6.90?×?10²⁰ cm^?3, respectively. Compared with 2 wt% Al₂O₃ doped ZnO and 5 wt% Ga₂O₃ doped ZnO thin films, IZO thin film with the In₂O₃ doping content of 6 wt% featured the lowest surface roughness of 1.3 nm. It also showed the smallest degradation with the sheet resistance increased only about 4.4% at a temperature of 121?°C, a relative humidity of 97% for 30 h. IZO thin film with 6 wt% In₂O₃ doping also showed the smallest deterioration with the sheet resistance increased only about 2.8 times after heating at 500?°C for 30 min in air. The results suggested that low indium content doped ZnO thin films might meet practical requirement in environmental stability needed optoelectronic devices.     

Finite element simulation and experimental research on ZnO:Al by magnetron sputtering

Aluminum doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) thin films are suitable for the use as transparent conductive electrode in copper indium gallium selenide Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin film solar cells. The resistivity and film quality of ZnO:Al deposited on soda lime glass is nonuniform in magnetron sputtering process. According to the measurement results of magnetic field on the top of the target, obvious magnetic field distribution nonuniformity is observed along the vertical and horizontal directions respectively. With the longer distance between target and substrate, the magnetic field intensity becomes lower and flatter between the two magnet poles. Based on the simulation results by finite element analysis, it is verified the nonuniformity of magnetic field distribution influences the probability of Ar⁺ particles collision and the deposition of zinc oxide (ZnO) particles in different regions on substrate. The higher resistivity of ZnO:Al films is obtained where the magnetic field intensity is stronger.     

Optical properties of amorphous-like indium zinc oxide and indium gallium zinc oxide thin films

The paper presents the optical properties of amorphous-like indium zinc oxide and indium gallium zinc oxide thin films with various In/(In + Zn) ratios obtained by Pulsed Laser Deposition. Thickness results obtained from simulations of X-ray Reflectivity and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry data were very similar. The dependence of density on stoichiometry resembles the corresponding dependence of the refractive index in the transparency range. A free carrier absorption was noted in the visible spectral range, leading to a weak absorbing thin transparent conductive oxide. On the other hand, the refractive index is smaller than those of based oxides (ZnO and In₂O₃), and counterbalance therefore the weak light absorption.     

Indium sulfide buffer layers deposited by dry and wet methods

Indium sulfide (In₂S₃) thin films have been deposited on amorphous glass, glass coated by tin oxide (TCO) and crystalline silicon substrates by two different methods: modulated flux deposition (MFD) and chemical bath deposition (CBD). Composition, morphology and optical characterization have been carried out with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), IR-visible-UV Spectrophotometry, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Different properties of the films have been obtained depending on the preparation techniques. With MFD, In₂S₃ films present more compact and homogeneous surface than with CBD. Films deposited by CBD present also indium oxide in their composition and higher absorption edge values when deposited on glass.     

Comparative study on early stages of film growth for transparent conductive oxide films deposited by dc magnetron sputtering

Early stages of film growth were investigated on three different kinds of representative transparent conductive oxide films including tin doped indium oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO) and gallium doped zinc oxide (GZO) films deposited on unheated alkali free glass substrates by dc magnetron sputtering. The variations in sheet resistance, film coverage and average surface roughness showed clearly that ITO and GZO films possessed Volmer-Weber growth mode. In contrast, the evolution of islands is not clearly observed for IZO film. The nucleation density of IZO film is considered to be much higher than that of ITO and GZO films.     

Effect of substrate temperature on the electrical and optical properties of electron beam evaporated indium antimonide thin films

Thin films of non-stoichiometric indium antimonide (In_0.66Sb_0.34) have been deposited by electron beam evaporation technique on glass substrates at different substrate temperatures, (300?C473 K). The films have polycrystalline nature with zinc blende structure. The decrease in electrical resistivity with increasing temperature shows semiconducting behavior. Hall measurements indicate that the films are of n-type. Optical transmission spectra of as deposited thin films have been measured at different substrate temperatures. All the electrical parameters i.e. electron mobility (??), carrier concentration (n), resistivity (??), activation energy and band gap (E _g ) have been found to be temperature dependent. Suitable explanations are given in the paper.     

Preparation and characterization of indium doped CdS0.2Se0.8 thin films by spray pyrolysis

The CdS_0.2Se_0.8 and indium doped CdS_0.2Se_0.8 thin films have been deposited onto the amorphous glass and fluorine doped tin oxide coated glass substrates by spray pyrolysis. The doping concentration of indium has been optimized by photoelectrochemical characterization technique. The structural, surface morphological, optical and electrical properties of CdS_0.2Se_0.8 and indium doped CdS_0.2Se_0.8 thin films have been studied. X-ray diffraction studies reveal that the films are polycrystalline in nature with hexagonal crystal structure. Scanning electron microscopy studies reveal that the grains are uniform with uneven spherically shaped, distributed over the entire substrate surface. The complete surface morphology has been changed after doping. In optical studies, the transition of the deposited films is found to be direct allowed with optical energy gaps decreasing from 1.91 to 1.67 eV with indium doping. Semiconducting behavior has been observed from resistivity measurements. The thermoelectric power measurements reveal that the films exhibit n-type conductivity.     

Effect of vacuum annealing on the phase composition of In/SnO/Si, In/SnO2/Si, and Sn/In2O3/Si heterostructures

The chemical interaction between indium and thin SnO and SnO₂ films and between tin and thin In₂O₃ films during vacuum annealing was studied. The metallic films were deposited onto single-crystal silicon substrates by magnetron sputtering, the SnO and SnO₂ films were produced by heat-treating the Sn film in flowing oxygen at 673 and 873 K, respectively, and the In₂O₃ film was produced by heat-treating the In film at 573 K. The results indicate that annealing of the In/SnO/Si and In/SnO₂/Si heterostructures in vacuum (residual pressure of 0.33 × 10^?2 Pa) at 773 K gives rise to the reduction of Sn and oxidation of In, whereas annealing of Sn/In₂O₃/Si causes partial tin substitution for indium in the cubic indium oxide lattice.     

Photocatalytic Zn-doped TiO2 films prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering

Zn-doped TiO₂ films were prepared by means of pulsed DC reactive magnetron sputtering method using Ti and Zn mixed target. The deposition condition was optimized to produce uniform and transparent TiO₂ films. Titanium was in the Ti⁴⁺ oxidation state in all Zn-doped TiO₂ films. The zinc oxide deposited on the substrate was in the fully oxidized state of ZnO. Increase of zinc concentration inhibited the crystal growth in the TiO₂ films. The surface morphology gradually changed from crystalline to amorphous along with the increase of doped zinc concentration. The optical transmittances of these films decreased only slightly with increasing zinc concentration due to very similar band edges of ZnO and anatase TiO₂. The doped ZnO had weak influence on light absorption of the TiO₂ films. When zinc concentration was very low (<1 at%), the photocatalytic activities of the doped films had nearly no difference from that of pure TiO₂ film. Photocatalytic activities decreased obviously in the films containing high amount of zinc oxide.     

Growth of ITO thin films by magnetron sputtering: OES study,opticaland electrical properties

In this work tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited onto soda lime glass substrates by the direct current magnetron sputtering system analyzing process of deposition with optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The dependence of electro-optical characteristics of the deposited films on the sputtering pressure, O₂/Ar working gas flow ratio and the discharge power was investigated. Transparency of the ITO films was measured using the ultraviolet and visible light spectrometer (UV–vis). The X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) method was applied for analysis of thin films surface chemical composition. It was found that in-situ measurement of plasma emission spectra allowed prediction and control of parameters of ITO thin films, namely resistivity and transparency. The correlation between the thin films resistivity, optical transparency and kinetics of deposition was examined.     

Studies on preparation and characterization of indium doped zinc oxide films by chemical spray deposition

The preparation of indium doped zinc oxide films is discussed. Variation of structural, electrical and optical properties of the films with zinc acetate concentration and indium concentration in the solution are investigated. XRD studies have shown a change in preferential orientation from (002) to (101) crystal plane with increase in indium dopant concentration. Films deposited at optimum conditions have a low resistivity of 1.33 x 10^-4Ωm with 94% transmittance at 550 nm. SEM studies have shown smooth polycrystalline morphology of the films. Figure of merit is evaluated from electrical resistivity and transmittance data.     

Improvement of bias stability of indium zinc oxide thin film transistors by the incorporation of hafnium fabricated by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

We report on the fabrication and performance of amorphous oxide thin film transistors with indium zinc oxide (In₂O₃:ZnO = 1:1 mol%) and various ratios of hafnium-doped indium zinc oxide (IZO:HfO₂ = 2:0, 0.3, 0.7, and 1.1 mol%) deposited at the same deposition conditions for semiconductor channel layer. The carrier concentration (N_cp) of the HIZO films was further decreased from 7.08 × 10¹⁷ to 5.0 × 10¹⁶ cm^− 3. This indicates that Hf metal cations effectively suppress carrier generation due to the high electron negativity (1.3) of Hf. In addition, we compared bias instability of both devices after bias temperature stress (BTS) test under on-current state at V_DS of 10 V and I_DS of 3 μA at 60 °C for 420 min. It was found that the Hf metal cations could be effectively incorporated in the IZO thin films as a suppressor against both the oxygen deficiencies and the carrier generation in the ZnO-based system.     

Pulsed laser deposited ZnO:In as transparent conducting oxide

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and indium doped ZnO (IZO) thin films with different indium compositions were grown by pulsed laser deposition technique on corning glass substrate. The effect of indium concentration on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the film was studied. The films were oriented along c-direction with wurtzite structure and highly transparent with an average transmittance of more than 80% in the visible wavelength region. The energy band gap was found to decrease with increasing indium concentration. High transparency makes the films useful as optical windows while the high band gap values support the idea that the film could be a good candidate for optoelectronic devices. The value of resistivity observed to decrease initially with doping concentration and subsequently increases. IZO with 1% of indium showed the lowest resistivity of 2.41 × 10⁻² Ω cm and large transmittance in the visible wavelength region. Especially 1% IZO thin film was observed to be a suitable transparent conducting oxide material to potentially replace indium tin oxide.     

Effect of annealing temperature on structural,optical and humidity sensing properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films

Tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films were prepared by sol–gel spin coating method with In (NO₃)·3H₂O and SnCl₄·5H₂O as indium and tin sources, respectively. The as deposited samples were annealed at various temperature such as, 300, 400, 500 and 600?°C for 2 h in ambient atmosphere. The grown ITO thin films are polycrystalline in nature with cubic structure of In₂O₃ with the space group La3 and the results are in good agreement with the standard JCPDS data (card no#06-0416). In addition crystalline size increases with increasing annealing temperature from 25 to 55 nm. Polycrystalline with uniform smooth surface was observed by SEM micrographs. The optical band gap energy was found to be decreased from 3.85 to 3.23 eV as the annealing temperature is increased from 300 to 600?°C. The humidity sensing performance (high sensitivity and fast response time) was significantly improved for 600?°C thin films samples, which is probably due to smaller energy band gap and physisorption between the water molecules and the surface of the thin films. The films were further characterized by PL and EDS analysis. The effect of temperature on humidity sensing mechanism of ITO thin films is also discussed.     

The effect of annealing on structural, electrical and optical properties of nanostructured ITO films prepared by e-beam evaporation

Tin doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films with composition of 9.42 wt% SnO₂ and 89.75 wt% In₂O_3, and impurities balanced on glass substrates at room temperature have been prepared by electron beam evaporation technique and then were annealed in air at different temperatures from 350 to 550 °C for 1 h. XRD pattern showed that increasing annealing temperature increased the crystallinity of thin films and at 550 °C high quality crystalline thin films with grain size of about 37 nm were obtained. Conductivity of ITO thin films was increased by increasing annealing temperature and conductivity obtained results in 350-550 °C temperature range were also excellently fitted in both Arrhenius-type and Davis-Mott variable-range hopping conductivity models. The UV-vis transmittance spectra were also confirmed that the annealing temperature has significant effect on the transparency of thin films. The highest transparency over the visible wavelength region of spectrum (93%) obtained at 550 °C on annealing temperature. It should be noted that this thin film was deposited on substrate at room temperature. This result obtained is equivalent with those values that have already been reported but with high-level (20 wt%) tin doped indium oxide thin films and also at 350 °C substrate temperature. The allowed direct band gap at the temperature range 350-550 °C was estimated to be in the range 3.85-3.97 eV. Band gap widening with an increase in annealing temperature was observed and is explained on the basis of Burstein-Moss shift. A comparison between the electron beam evaporation and other deposition techniques showed that the better figure of merit value can be obtained by the former technique. At the end we have compared our results with other techniques.     

Influence of anode roughness and buffer layer nature on organic solar cells performance

Fluorine doped transparent conductive tin oxide thin films (FTO) of different surface roughness have been deposited by chemical vapor deposition (FTO_SOL), classical chemical spray pyrolysis (FTO_CSP), and spray pyrolysis onto heated substrates using infra red irradiation (FTO_IRSP); the three deposition methods inducing different surface roughness. It was found that the different FTOs presented similar electrical properties while their structural, morphological and optical properties were related to surface properties. These FTO films have been used as anode in multilayer organic solar cells, based on coupled donor/acceptor-copper phthalocyanine/fullerene. To improve solar cell performance, buffer layers of different natures have been tried at the anode/organic material interface. Deposition of a thin molybdenum oxide film onto FTO smooth films afforded reproducible devices with performance similar to those obtained with indium tin oxide anodes. However, cell efficiency decreased as FTO surface roughness increased. The degree of degradation depended on the nature of the buffer layer. We show that it is necessary to use buffer layer material that allows consistency and completeness of the electrode coverage.