Electrical properties of electron-beam-evaporated indium oxide thin films

Crystalline (b.c.c.) indium oxide (In₂O₃) powder was evaporated using an electron beam and the structure of the deposited films was found to be amorphous. Studies of the a.c. conductance of films of various thicknesses were carried out in the audio frequency range (200 Hz to 30 kHz) at various temperatures. The current-voltage characteristics of the films were also studied. The dielectric breakdown field strength was determined for several film thicknesses and at various temperatures. The activation energies for the a.c. and d.c. conduction processes were estimated and the results are discussed.