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Effect of Cr doping on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of indium tin oxide films

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Abstract

We report on the preparation and characterization of high-purity chromium (0.5–2.5 at.%)-doped indium tin oxide (ITO, In:Sn = 90:10) films deposited by sol–gel-mediated dip coating. The effects of different Cr-doping contents on structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the films were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV–Vis spectroscopy and four-point probe methods. XRD showed high phase purity cubic In2O3 and indicated a contraction of the lattice with Cr doping. FESEM micrographs show that grain size decreased with increasing the Cr-doping content. A method to determine chromium species in the sample was developed through the decomposition of the Cr 2p XPS spectrum in Cr6+ and Cr3+ standard spectra. Optical and electrical studies revealed that optimum opto-electronic properties, including minimum sheet resistance of 4,300 Ω/Sq and an average optical transmittance of 85 % in the visible region with a band gap of 3.421 eV, were achieved for the films doped with Cr-doping content of 2 at.%.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are grateful to the research council of Sharif University of Technology for the financial support of this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Science and Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11155-9466, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

    Majid Mirzaee & Abolghasem Dolati

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  1. Majid Mirzaee
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  2. Abolghasem Dolati
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Correspondence to Abolghasem Dolati.

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Mirzaee, M., Dolati, A. Effect of Cr doping on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of indium tin oxide films. Appl. Phys. A 118, 953–960 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8842-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8842-0

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