Structural, electrical and optical properties of p-type transparent conducting SnO2:Al film derived from thermal diffusion of Al/SnO2/Al multilayer thin films

• Published in: Acta materialia Vol. 58; no. 19; pp. 6243 - 6248
• Main Authors: Zhao, J., Zhao, X.J., Ni, J.M., Tao, H.Z.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aluminum; Annealing; Applied sciences; Conduction; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Deposition; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Metals. Metallurgy; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Multilayer thin films; Multilayers; p-Type SnO2:Al film; Physics; Production techniques; Sputtering; Surface treatment; Thermal diffusion; Tin dioxide; Tin oxides; Annealing; p-Type SnO2:Al film; Multilayer thin films; Sputtering; p-Type SnO; Heat treatment; Electrical properties; Optical properties; Multiple layer; Al film; Diffusion; Microstructure; Thin film
• ISSN: 1359-6454; 1873-2453
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2010.07.042

Highly transparent, p-type conducting SnO2:Al films derived from thermal diffusion of a sandwich structure Al/SnO2/Al multilayer thin films deposited on quartz substrate have been prepared by direct current and radio-frequency magnetron sputtering using Al and SnO2 targets. The deposited films were annealed at various temperatures for different durations. The effect of thermal diffusing temperature and time on the structural, electrical and optical performances of SnO2:Al films has been studied. X-ray diffraction results show that all p-type conducting films possessed polycrystalline SnO2 with tetragonal rutile structure. Hall-effect results indicate that 450°C for 4h were the optimum annealing parameters for p-type SnO2:Al films, resulting in a relatively high hole concentration of 7.2×1018cm−3 and a low resistivity of 0.81Ωcm. The transmission of the p-type SnO2:Al films was above 80%.