Options
1996
Conference Paper
Titel
Comparison of transparent conductive oxide thin films prepared by AC and DC reactive magnetron sputtering
Abstract
Antimony-doped tin oxide and aluminum-doped zinc oxide films have been prepared by reactive AC and DC magnetron sputtering (AC excitation at frequency of 40 kHz; twin- cathode arrangement) from metallic targets at substrate temperature of about 573 K. The optical, electrical and structural properties of the sputtered SnO2:Sb and Zn0:Al thin films of different dopant concentrations have been investigated by means of optical spectroscopy (UV-IR), X-ray diffraction, Hall mobility and conductivity measurements. For antimony-doped SnO2 films a minimum resistivity of 1.5 10(exp -3)ohm cm at high transparency (larger than 88 per cent at film thickness of 250 nm) has been observed at dopant concentrations of about 1.2 at. per cent Sb in the layers. Low resistivity of 4.0 10(exp -4) Ohm cm and transmission in the visible spectral range of about 89 per cent at film thickness of 550 nm has been obtained for as prepared alurninurn doped Zno thin films. Furthermore, the investigations on AC plasma discharges using a planar plasma probe analyzer have revealed higher ion energies (up to some tenth of eV) and about 10 times higher ion current densities as in the case of DC magnetron sputtering at nearly the same deposition conditions.