Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Surface and optical properties of indium tin oxide layer deposition by RF magnetron sputtering in argon atmosphere

  • Published:
Applied Physics A Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study focused on the characterization and properties of transparent and conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films deposited in argon atmosphere. ITO thin films were coated onto glass substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique at 75 and 100 W RF powers. Structural characteristics of producing films were investigated through X-ray diffraction analysis. UV–Vis spectrophotometer and interferometer were used to determine transmittance, absorbance and reflectance values of samples. The surface morphology of the films was characterized by atomic force microscope. The calculated band gaps were 3.8 and 4.1 eV for the films at 75 and 100 W, respectively. The effect of RF power on crystallinity of prepared films was explored using mentioned analysis methods. The high RF power caused higher poly crystallinity in the produced samples. The thickness and refractive index values for all samples increased respect to an increment of RF power and were calculated as 20, 50 nm and 1.71, 1.86 for samples at 75 and 100 W, respectively. Finally, the estimated grain sizes for all prepared films decreased with increasing of 2θ degrees, and the number of crystallite per unit volume was calculated. It was found that nearly all properties including sheet resistance and resistivity depend on the RF power.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. T. Minami, Present status of transparent conducting oxide thin-film development for indium-tin-oxide (ITO) substitutes. Thin Solid Films 516, 5822–5828 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  2. Y.-H. Tak, K.-B. Kim, H.-G. Park, K.-H. Lee, J.-R. Lee, Criteria for ITO (indium-tin-oxide) thin film as the bottom electrode of an organic light emitting diode. Thin Solid Films 411, 12–16 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. L. Álvarez-Fraga, F. Jiménez-Villacorta, J. Sánchez-Marcos, A. de Andrés, C. Prieto, Indium-tin oxide thin films deposited at room temperature on glass and PET substrates: optical and electrical properties variation with the H2–Ar sputtering gas mixture. Appl. Surf. Sci. 344, 217–222 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  4. G. Zhu, D. Yan, H. Xu, A. Yu, Structural and electric properties of BaSn0.15Ti0.85O3 films on ITO/glass substrate by RF sputtering from powder target. Mater. Lett. 140, 155–157 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. H.-M. Kim, K. Bae, S. Sohn, Electronic and optical properties of indium zinc oxide thin films prepared by using nanopowder target. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 50, 045801 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. D. Dong, W. Wang, G. Dong, Y. Zhou, Z. Wu, M. Wang, F. Liu, X. Diao, Electrochromic properties of NiOx:H films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering for ITO/NiOx:H/ZrO2/WO3/ITO device. Appl. Surf. Sci. 357, 799–805 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. R. Mechiakh, N.B. Sedrine, R. Chtourou, Sol–gel synthesis, characterization and optical properties of mercury-doped TiO2 thin films deposited on ITO glass substrates. Appl. Surf. Sci. 257, 9103–9109 (2011)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. J.-H. Park, T. Sudarshan, Chemical Vapor Deposition (ASM İnternational, Materials Park, 2001)

    Google Scholar 

  9. K. Vijayalakshmi, A. Renitta, K. Karthick, Growth of high quality ZnO:Mg films on ITO coated glass substrates for enhanced H2 sensing. Ceram. Int. 40, 6171–6177 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. M. Oikawa, K. Toda, Preparation of Pb (Zr, Ti) O3 thin films by an electron beam evaporation technique. Appl. Phys. Lett. 29, 491–492 (1976)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. T. Yong, T. Tou, R. Yang, B. Teo, H. Yow, Properties of ITO on plastics and glass by Nd:YAG laser deposition at 355 and 532nm. Vacuum 82, 1445–1448 (2008)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. B. Yao, Y. Chan, N. Wang, Formation of ZnO nanostructures by a simple way of thermal evaporation. Appl. Phys. Lett. 81, 757–759 (2002)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  13. N.E. Çetin, Ş. Korkmaz, S. Elmas, N. Ekem, S. Pat, M.Z. Balbağ, E. Tarhan, S. Temel, M. Özmumcu, The structural, optical and morphological properties of CaF 2 thin films by using thermionic vacuum arc (TVA). Mater. Lett. 91, 175–178 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. V. Şenay, S. Pat, Ş. Korkmaz, T. Aydoğmuş, S. Elmas, S. Özen, N. Ekem, M.Z. Balbağ, ZnO thin film synthesis by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Appl. Surf. Sci. 318, 2–5 (2014)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  15. P. Canhola, N. Martins, L. Raniero, S. Pereira, E. Fortunato, I. Ferreira, R. Martins, Role of annealing environment on the performances of large area ITO films produced by rf magnetron sputtering. Thin Solid Films 487, 271–276 (2005)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  16. I. Baıa, M. Quintela, L. Mendes, P. Nunes, R. Martins, Performances exhibited by large area ITO layers produced by rf magnetron sputtering. Thin Solid Films 337, 171–175 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. A. Purohit, S. Chander, S. Nehra, C. Lal, M. Dhaka, Effect of thickness on structural, optical, electrical and morphological properties of nanocrystalline CdSe thin films for optoelectronic applications. Opt. Mater. 47, 345–353 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  18. A. Purohit, S. Chander, A. Sharma, S. Nehra, M. Dhaka, Impact of low temperature annealing on structural, optical, electrical and morphological properties of ZnO thin films grown by RF sputtering for photovoltaic applications. Opt. Mater. 49, 51–58 (2015)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. S. Pat, Ş. Korkmaz, S. Özen, V. Şenay, Direct and fast growth of GaAs thin films on glass and polyethylene terephthalate substrates using a thermionic vacuum arc. J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 26, 2210–2214 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. V. Senthilkumar, P. Vickraman, M. Jayachandran, C. Sanjeeviraja, Structural and optical properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films with different compositions prepared by electron beam evaporation. Vacuum 84, 864–869 (2010)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  21. S. Pat, Ş. Korkmaz, M.Z. Balbağ, A new deposition technique using reactive thermionic vacuum arc for ZnO thin film production. J. Nanoelectron. Optoelectron. 9, 437–441 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. L. Raniero, I. Ferreira, A. Pimentel, A. Goncalves, P. Canhola, E. Fortunato, R. Martins, Role of hydrogen plasma on electrical and optical properties of ZGO, ITO and IZO transparent and conductive coatings. Thin Solid Films 511, 295–298 (2006)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  23. H. Hartnagel, A. Dawar, A. Jain, C. Jagadish, Semiconducting Transparent Thin Films (Institute of Physics, Bristol, 1995)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, Art and Science Faculty, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey

    H. Hakan Yudar, Şadan Korkmaz, Soner Özen & Suat Pat

  2. Education Faculty, Bayburt University, Bayburt, Turkey

    Volkan Şenay

Authors
  1. H. Hakan Yudar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Şadan Korkmaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Soner Özen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Volkan Şenay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Suat Pat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to H. Hakan Yudar.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yudar, H.H., Korkmaz, Ş., Özen, S. et al. Surface and optical properties of indium tin oxide layer deposition by RF magnetron sputtering in argon atmosphere. Appl. Phys. A 122, 748 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-016-0262-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-016-0262-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation