Thermal stability of indium tin oxide thin films co-sputtered with zinc oxide

The thermal stability of indium tin oxide (ITO) films and ITO co-sputtered with zinc oxide (ZnO) films at different zinc atomic ratios in various atmospheres are investigated. The resistivity of the annealed ITO films decreased with increased annealing temperatures. The improved electrical properties were attributed mainly to the increase in carrier concentration originating from the significant formation of oxygen vacancies in the ITO films. In contrast, due to the lower oxidation potential of zinc ions, the resistivity of the annealed co-sputtered films showed no significant reduction and an increase with annealing temperatures. The film decomposition due to the high degree outdiffusion of oxygen atoms and aggregation of In atoms observed from the metal-like In phase in the diffraction patterns was responsible for the drastic thermal degradation in the electrical and optical properties of the samples annealed at elevated temperatures in reducing gas atmosphere. In contrast, the superior thermal stability of the co-sputtered films, at an atomic ratio of 60% annealed in reducing gas atmospheres, was ascribed to the stable Zn₃In₂O₆ crystalline structure that appeared in the diffraction pattern. The absorption edge observed from the optical transmittance of these annealed films also showed evidence of carrier concentration evolution in various annealing atmospheres. The lower oxidation potential of the zinc atoms introduced into the ITO films was concluded to be efficient in compensating for the formation of oxygen vacancies resulting in the alleviated decomposition behavior during thermal annealing.     

Electrical and optical properties of indium tin oxide films prepared on plastic substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

The influence of deposition power, thickness and oxygen gas flow rate on electrical and optical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) films deposited on flexible, transparent substrates, such as polycarbonate (PC) and metallocene cyclo-olefin copolymers (mCOC), at room temperature was studied. The ITO films were prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering with the target made by sintering a mixture of 90 wt.% of indium oxide (In₂O₃) and 10 wt.% of tin oxide (SnO₂). The results show that (1) average transmission in the visible range (400-700 nm) was about 85%-90%, and (2) ITO films deposited on glass, PC and mCOC at 100 W without supplying additional oxygen gas had optimum resistivity of 6.35 × 10⁻⁴ Ω-cm, 5.86 × 10⁻⁴ Ω-cm and 6.72 × 10⁻⁴ Ω-cm, respectively. In terms of both electrical and optical properties of indium tin oxide films, the optimum thickness was observed to be 150-300 nm.     

Characterization of ITO/CdO/glass thin films evaporated by electron beam technique

Abstract

A thin buffer layer of cadmium oxide (CdO) was used to enhance the optical and electrical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) films prepared by an electron-beam evaporation technique. The effects of the thickness and heat treatment of the CdO layer on the structural, optical and electrical properties of ITO films were carried out. It was found that the CdO layer with a thickness of 25 nm results in an optimum transmittance of 70% in the visible region and an optimum resistivity of 5.1×10^?3 Ω cm at room temperature. The effect of heat treatment on the CdO buffer layer with a thickness of 25 nm was considered to improve the optoelectronic properties of the formed ITO films. With increasing annealing temperature, the crystallinity of ITO films seemed to improve, enhancing some physical properties, such as film transmittance and conductivity. ITO films deposited onto a CdO buffer layer heated at 450 °C showed a maximum transmittance of 91% in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum associated with the highest optical energy gap of 3.61 eV and electrical resistivity of 4.45×10^?4 Ω cm at room temperature. Other optical parameters, such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constant, dispersion energy, single effective oscillator energy, packing density and free carrier concentration, were also studied.     

Optimizing indium tin oxide thin films with bipolar d.c.-pulsed magnetron sputtering for electrochromic device applications

In this paper, indium tin oxide (ITO) films were prepared by bipolar d.c.-pulsed magnetron sputtering in a mixture of argon and oxygen onto unheated glass substrates. A target of ITO with 10 weight percent (wt %) tin was used. The influences of ratios of t^– _on/t⁺ _on (negative pulse-on time/positive pulse-on time) on the optical, electrical, and structural properties of ITO films have been investigated. The correlations between the deposition parameters and the film properties were discussed. An optimal condition based on reactive bipolar d.c.-pulsed sputtering for obtaining high transmittance, low resistivity, and low surface roughness of ITO films with high deposition rate is suggested. Then, ITO films grown at room temperature by bipolar d.c.-pulsed sputtering were used to form electrochromic devices of WO₃. Better electrochromic performances were found in comparison to those measured with commercially available ITO films on glass substrates.     

Influence of film thickness on the texture, morphology and electro-optical properties of indium tin oxide films

In the present study, the structural, electrical, and optical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) films are reported as a function of film thickness (162-840 nm). The properties are discussed in terms of the (100) preferred orientation evolution with the increase of film thickness. This preferred orientation allowed accommodation of more oxygen vacancies, resulting in the increase of carrier concentration from 2.43 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ to 7.11 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ and therefore enhancing the electrical conductivity. The absorption in the infrared region was also found to increase with the increasing free carrier concentration, which was attributed to the plasma excitation. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profile showed that the Sn⁴⁺ concentration did not change with film thickness. However, the oxygen concentration was decreased slightly after the thickness of the ITO films was increased to 100 nm, as the consequence of the formation of the (100) texture allowing the accommodation of more oxygen vacancies. The results show that the fabrication process can be manipulated to control the electrical properties and the infrared absorption of the sputtered ITO films.     

Characterization of ITO/CdO/glass thin films evaporated by electron beam technique

A thin buffer layer of cadmium oxide (CdO) was used to enhance the optical and electrical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) films prepared by an electron-beam evaporation technique. The effects of the thickness and heat treatment of the CdO layer on the structural, optical and electrical properties of ITO films were carried out. It was found that the CdO layer with a thickness of 25 nm results in an optimum transmittance of 70% in the visible region and an optimum resistivity of 5.1×10⁻³ Ω cm at room temperature. The effect of heat treatment on the CdO buffer layer with a thickness of 25 nm was considered to improve the optoelectronic properties of the formed ITO films. With increasing annealing temperature, the crystallinity of ITO films seemed to improve, enhancing some physical properties, such as film transmittance and conductivity. ITO films deposited onto a CdO buffer layer heated at 450 °C showed a maximum transmittance of 91% in the visible and near-infrared regions of the spectrum associated with the highest optical energy gap of 3.61 eV and electrical resistivity of 4.45×10⁻⁴ Ω cm at room temperature. Other optical parameters, such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constant, dispersion energy, single effective oscillator energy, packing density and free carrier concentration, were also studied.     

Characterization of Indium‐Tin‐Oxide Thin Film Microelectrodes for Biomedical Use

Selected properties of indium‐tin‐oxide (ITO) films prepared by r.f. diode sputtering have been investigated in consideration of surface morphology, optical properties, crystal structure and phase formation, electrical resistivity and chemical resistance. The ITO films showed low electrical resistivity (6·10^‐5 Ωm), high optical transmittance (> 80 %) and suitable chemical resistance against selected chemicals during 1 hour.     

Study of the inductively coupled plasma assisted DC magnetron sputtering (ICPDMS) during ITO deposition

An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) assisted DC magnetron sputtering (ICPDMS) method for the deposition of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films was developed to satisfy the challenging requirements of a room temperature process and high temperature durability. The resistivity of ITO thin films deposited by ICPDMS at room temperature was improved to as low as 1.2 × 10^− 2 Ω cm by increasing the RF power of the ICP source to 1200 W. Due to the additional dissociation and ionization by the high density plasma in ICPDMS system, the ITO thin films have a higher portion of Sn and oxygen atoms and a lower initial carrier concentration, ~ 10¹⁸ #/cm³, at room temperature than conventional ITO. However, the carrier concentration could be rapidly increased up to 10²⁰ #/cm³ by post-annealing to temperatures as high as 500 °C for 1 h under high vacuum conditions. Unlike conventional ITO, the electrical properties of ICPDMS-ITO were relatively unchanged after high temperature heat cycles, which is a very attractive property for high performance photovoltaic solar cell applications.     

Nanostructured organic-inorganic photodiodes with high rectification ratio

High quality organic-inorganic heterojunction photodiodes based on nanostructured copper (II) phthalocyanine (CuPc) and intrinsic zinc oxide (i-ZnO) have been fabricated. The i-ZnO thin films/layers were grown by RF magnetron sputtering on clean indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates. These films have been characterized by optical absorption and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). CuPc thin films deposited at room temperature on i-ZnO have exhibited a change in their surface morphology with the post-deposition annealing temperature under normal atmosphere. The electrical dark conductivity and the photoconductivity of ITO/i-ZnO/CuPc/Au sandwich structures have been measured under various photoexcitation intensities using a xenon light source. The devices have shown excellent reproducibility of their electrical characteristics and high rectification ratios. The highest rectification ratio is nearly 831 calculated above the threshold voltage at room temperature for the sample annealed at 250?°C (i.e.?Pc 250). The effects of the annealing temperature of CuPc on the surface morphology, rectification ratio, and optical properties have been discussed.     

Pulsed laser deposition of indium tin oxide films on flexible polyethylene naphthalate display substrates at room temperature

Pulsed laser deposition was used to deposit high-quality indium tin oxide (ITO) thin solid films on polyethylene napthalate (PEN) flexible display substrates. The electrical, optical, microstructural, mechanical and adhesive properties of the functional thin layer were investigated as a function of a narrow range of background oxygen gas pressure at room temperature, which is the most desirable thermal condition for growing transparent conducting oxides on flexible display polymer substrates. ITO films (240 ± 35 nm thick) deposited on PEN at room temperature in the range of 0.33 to 2.66 Pa background oxygen pressure are observed to exhibit low electrical resistivity (~ 10^− 4 Ω cm) and high optical transmission (~ 90%). Electromechanical uniaxial tensile testing, of the hybrid thin structures, results in crack onset nominal strains of around 2%. The ITO surface adhesion reaches a maximum at 1.33 Pa deposition pressure.     

Electrical and optical properties of Zn-In-Sn-O transparent conducting thin films

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is one of the widely used transparent conductive oxides (TCO) for application as transparent electrode in thin film silicon solar cells or thin film transistors owing to its low resistivity and high transparency. Nevertheless, indium is a scarce and expensive element and ITO films require high deposition temperature to achieve good electrical and optical properties. On the other hand, although not competing as ITO, doped Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is a promising and cheaper alternative. Therefore, our strategy has been to deposit ITO and ZnO multicomponent thin films at room temperature by radiofrequency (RF) magnetron co-sputtering in order to achieve TCOs with reduced indium content. Thin films of the quaternary system Zn-In-Sn-O (ZITO) with improved electrical and optical properties have been achieved.The samples were deposited by applying different RF powers to ZnO target while keeping a constant RF power to ITO target. This led to ZITO films with zinc content ratio varying between 0 and 67%. The optical, electrical and morphological properties have been thoroughly studied. The film composition was analysed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The films with 17% zinc content ratio showed the lowest resistivity (6.6 × 10^− 4 Ω cm) and the highest transmittance (above 80% in the visible range). Though X-ray Diffraction studies showed amorphous nature for the films, using High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy we found that the microstructure of the films consisted of nanometric crystals embedded in a compact amorphous matrix. The effect of post deposition annealing on the films in both reducing and oxidizing atmospheres were studied. The changes were found to strongly depend on the zinc content ratio in the films.     

Role of substrate temperature on the structural,optoelectronic and morphological properties of (400) oriented indium tin oxide thin films deposited using RF sputtering technique

RF sputtering process has been used to deposit highly transparent and conducting films of tin-doped indium oxide onto quartz substrates keeping the RF power constant at 250 W. The electrical, optical and structural properties have been investigated as a function of substrate temperature. XRD has shown that deposited films are polycrystalline and have (400) preferred orientation. Indium tin oxide layers with low resistivity values and high transmittance in the visible region have been deposited. Detailed Analyses based on X-ray diffraction, optical and electrical results are attempted to gain more insight into the factors that are governed by the influence of varying substrate temperature in this investigation. AFM pictures showed uniform surface morphology with very low surface roughness values. It has been observed that ITO films deposited in this study, keeping the substrate temperature at 150 °C, can provide the required optimum electrical and optical properties rendering them useful for developing many optoelectronic devices at a moderate temperature.     

Optical and electrical properties of ink-jet printed indium–tin-oxide nanoparticle films

In this work, spherical indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles (~ 15 nm) synthesized by co-precipitation method were successfully applied for direct ink-jet printing of transparent conducting patterns on polyethylene terephthalate substrates. The printed ITO nanoparticle patterns with various thicknesses were investigated for understanding fundamental properties and potentials for soft electronics. It has been found that the optical transmittance in the visible region as well as the band-gap absorption edge of the printed ITO films significantly varies with thickness, which is related to the huge nanoparticle scattering effect as evidenced. The electrical resistivity can be effectively improved by increasing the pattern thickness, indicating that the present printed ITO films are of great potential for optoelectronic applications.     

Growth and characterization of indium tin oxide thin films deposited on PET substrates

Transparent and conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited onto polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by d.c. magnetron sputtering as the front and back electrical contact for applications in flexible displays and optoelectronic devices. In addition, ITO powder was used for sputter target in order to reduce the cost and time of the film formation processes. As the sputtering power and pressure increased, the electrical conductivity of ITO films decreased. The films were increasingly dark gray colored as the sputtering power increased, resulting in the loss of transmittance of the films. When the pressure during deposition was higher, however, the optical transmittance improved at visible region of light. ITO films deposited onto PET have shown similar optical transmittance and electrical resistivity, in comparison with films onto glass substrate. High quality films with resistivity as low as 2.5 × 10^− 3 Ω cm and transmittance over 80% have been obtained on to PET substrate by suitably controlling the deposition parameters.     

偏压对ITO薄膜生长模式和光电性能的影响

为明确溅射偏压对ITO薄膜性质的影响,用射频磁控溅射法于室温在玻璃衬底制备出ITO透明导电薄膜,研究了不同偏压下ITO薄膜的生长模式、光学和电学性能.结果表明:随着偏压的增加,薄膜沉积模式经历了沉积、沉积和扩散、表面脱附3种方式;AFM和SEM显示,偏压为100 V时,膜层表面光洁、均匀,粗糙度最小,均方根粗糙度为1.61 nm;XRD分析表明偏压会影响与薄膜的择优取向,偏压为100 V时,薄膜晶粒取向为(222)面;薄膜偏压为120 V时,薄膜的光电性能最佳,电阻率最低为2.59×10-4Ω.cm,可见光区的平均透过率在85%以上;偏压的大小使薄膜的吸收边发生了"蓝移"或"红移".     

Effects of thermal treatment on the electrical and optical properties of silver-based indium tin oxide/metal/indium tin oxide structures

In this article, we report the results of the study of thermal treatment effects on the electrical and optical properties of silver-based indium tin oxide/metal/indium tin oxide (IMI) multilayer films. Heat treatment conditions such as temperature and gaseous atmosphere was varied to obtain better electrical and optical properties. We obtained improved electrical properties and observed considerable shift in the transmittance curves after heat treatment. Several analytical tools such as X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic ellipsometer and spectrophotometer were used to explore the causes of the changes in electrical and optical properties. The sheet resistance of the structure was severely influenced by deposition conditions of the indium tin oxide (ITO) layer at the top. Moreover, the shift of optical transmittance could be explained on the basis of the change in refractive indices of ITO layers during heat treatment. The properties of Ag-alloy-based IMI films were compared with those of pure Ag-based ones. Some defects originating from Ag layer corrosion were observed on the surface of ITO-pure Ag–ITO structures, however, their number decreased significantly in the cases of Ag-alloys containing Pd, Au and Cu, though the resistivity values of Ag-alloys were slightly higher than those of silver. Atomic force microscopy measurement results revealed that the surface of the IMI multilayer was so smooth that it meets the required qualifications as the bottom electrode of organic light emitting diodes.     

Properties of indium tin oxide films deposited on unheated polymer substrates by ion beam assisted deposition

The optical, electrical and mechanical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) films prepared on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates by ion beam assisted deposition at room temperature were investigated. The properties of ITO films can be improved by introducing a buffer layer of silicon dioxide (SiO₂) between the ITO film and the PET substrate. ITO films deposited on SiO₂-coated PET have better crystallinity, lower electrical resistivity, and improved resistance stability under bending than those deposited on bare PET. The average transmittance and the resistivity of ITO films deposited on SiO₂-coated PET are 85% and 0.90 × 10^− 3 Ω cm, respectively, and when the films are bent, the resistance remains almost constant until a bending radius of 1 cm and it increases slowly under a given bending radius with an increase of the bending cycles. The improved resistance stability of ITO films deposited on SiO₂-coated PET is mainly attributed to the perfect adhesion of ITO films induced by the SiO₂ buffer layer.     

Properties of Reactive Magnetron Sputtered ITO Films without in-situ Substrate Heating and Post-deposition Annealing

1. Introductiontransparent conductive indium tin oxide (ITO)films have been extensively used in a variety of electronic and opto--electronic applications because oftheir high transmission in the visible range, high infrared (IR) reflection, and low electrical resistivity.A variety of deposition techniques have been appliedto fabricate ITO films such as CVD, spray pyrolysisand sputteringll'2]. However, sputtering is the mostextensively used technique especially in industry. Recelltly, targe…     

Strain dependence electrical resistance and cohesive strength of ITO thin films deposited on electroactive polymer

Transparent, conducting, indium tin oxide (ITO) films have been deposited, by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering, on glass and electroactive polymer (poly(vinylidene fluoride)—PVDF) substrates. Samples have been prepared at room temperature by varying the oxygen partial pressure. Electrical resistivity around 8.4 × 10^− 4 Ω cm has been obtained for films deposited on glass, while a resistivity of 1.7 × 10^− 3 Ω cm has been attained in similar coatings on PVDF. Fragmentation tests were performed on PVDF substrates with thicknesses of 28 μm and 110 μm coated with 40 nm ITO layer. The coating's fragmentation process was analyzed and the crack onset strain and cohesive strength of ITO layers were evaluated.     

Electronic transport and optical properties of thin oxide films

In this work, we present optical characterization of films of two transparent conductive oxides (ITO: indium tin oxide and ZnO: zinc oxide) including absorption coefficient and optical gap energy. We have also investigated the transport properties of ITO and ZnO films through measurements of electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power versus temperature. These measurements enabled us to investigate conduction mechanisms for metal-nonmetal transitions. Undoped ZnO thin films show a metal-semiconductor transition at temperatures beyond 350 K. We have conducted a similar study on ITO films where we demonstrated, for the first time, the existence of a conductivity transition below 400 K, which indicates a high absolute thermoelectric power at temperatures above the transition temperature.