Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A, Vol.28, No.4, 671-674, 2010
Evaluation of indium tin oxide films grown at room temperature by pulsed electron deposition
Good quality Sn-doped In2O3 films with thickness of 30 nm were deposited using a vapor deposition technique known as pulsed electron deposition. The films were deposited on (100) Si substrates, at room temperature from a ceramic target of indium tin oxide (90/10). A pulsed electron beam was used for ablation of the target. Voltage of the electron source was maintained at 18 kV with frequency of pulses at 3 Hz. Distance between source and target was maintained around 6 mm, and the substrate to target distance was similar to 7 cm. Oxygen pressure in the chamber during growth was varied from 3.1 to 20 mTorr. To evaluate the quality of grown films, various characterization techniques were employed. The effect of oxygen chamber pressure on resistivity (rho), carrier concentration (N), mobility (mu), and optical constants (n and k) was carried out. Optical transparency and electrical conductivity of the films were seen to improve with increasing oxygen pressure. Details about the film preparation and evaluation of properties are reported. (C) 2010 American Vacuum Society [DOT: 10.1116/1.3378153]