Deposition of transparent, conductive tin oxide films on glass using a radio-frequency induction heater

Tin oxide films are often used as transparent, conductive coatings on glass in the scientific research setting. The standard approach of depositing these films in an oven leads to poor visibility of the substrate and thus inhibits the ready formation of uniform, low resistivity films. In this note we describe a simple tin oxide film deposition technique using a radio-frequency induction heater that allows for in situ visualization of the deposition process and resulting film. Uniform films having resistivities as low as 2 mohm cm with transmittances of approximately 85% in the visible light spectrum were readily deposited.