High quality ZnO:Al transparent conducting oxide films synthesized by pulsed filtered cathodic arc deposition

Journal Article · Fri Apr 24 04:00:00 EDT 2009 · Thin Solid Films

OSTI ID:961835

Anders, Andre; Lim, Sunnie H.N.; Yu, Kin Man; Andersson, Joakim; Rosen, Johanna; McFarland, Mike; Brown, Jeff

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide, ZnO:Al or AZO, is a well-known n-type transparent conducting oxide with great potential in a number of applications currently dominated by indium tin oxide (ITO). In this study, the optical and electrical properties of AZO thin films deposited on glass and silicon by pulsed filtered cathodic arc deposition are systematically studied. In contrast to magnetron sputtering, this technique does not produce energetic negative ions, and therefore ion damage can be minimized. The quality of the AZO films strongly depends on the growth temperature while only marginal improvements are obtained with post-deposition annealing. The best films, grown at a temperature of about 200?C, have resistivities in the low to mid 10-4 Omega cm range with a transmittance better than 85percent in the visible part of the spectrum. It is remarkable that relatively good films of small thickness (60 nm) can be fabricated using this method.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: Accelerator& Fusion Research Division; Environmental Energy Technologies Division
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 961835
• Report Number(s): LBNL-1881E
• Journal Information: Thin Solid Films, Journal Name: Thin Solid Films; ISSN THSFAP; ISSN 0040-6090
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ANIONS
ANNEALING
DEPOSITION
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
GLASS
INDIUM
MAGNETRONS
OXIDES
SILICON
SPUTTERING
THICKNESS
THIN FILMS
TIN OXIDES
ZINC OXIDES
transparent conducting oxide
aluminum doped zinc oxide
AZO
filtered arc
deposition
thin film