Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films were deposited on Si(100) substrates without external heating by means of DC-planar magnetron sputtering. A metallic In/Sn (90/10) target and an argon/oxygen gas mixture were used. The flow of the reactive gas oxygen was varied between 0 and 2 seem. DC bias voltages between 0 and - 100 V were used. With increasing oxygen flow, the film structure and composition changed from crystalline metallic In/Sn to amorphous ITO. The diffusion of oxygen into metallic In/Sn films and the amorphous-to-crystalline transformation of ITO were studied using in situ grazing incidence X-ray diffractometry (GIXRD), grazing incidence reflectometry (GIXR), and AFM. In situ measurements of GIXRD were made during annealing in vacuum (10(-6) mbar) at temperatures between 100 and 300 degreesC. Two processes determine the ITO crystal growth: the diffusion of oxygen into the metallic film, and a fast crystallization of amorphous ITO. From the X-ray integral intensities the following kinetic parameters were extracted: diffusion constant, activation energy of the diffusion, reaction order and activation energy of the crystal growth process. The diffusion constants depend on the bias voltage in following manner: D(0 V) < D(-100 V)

Keywords:tin-doped indium oxide (ITO);in situ grazing incidence;X-ray diffractometry (GIXRD);diffusion;crystallization