Physical and Optical Properties of SnO2/ZnO Film Prepared by an RF Magnetron Sputtering Method

Al-, Ga-, and In-doped ZnO thin films are widely used in many technical applications, such as in solar cells and on transparent conducting oxides having high optical transmission and low resistivity values. We prepared SnO2-doped ZnO thin films on quartz substrates by using an RF magnetron sputtering method at a substrate temperature of 350 degrees C. The ratio of SnO2 to ZnO was varied from 0 to 5:5 to investigate the effects of Sn on structure and physical properties of ZnO film. The samples were synthesized at a base pressure of 1.3 x 10(-4) Pa with a working pressure of 1.3 Pa and an RF power of 40 W under Ar atmosphere. The results of X-ray diffraction data revealed that pure ZnO films exhibit a strong (002) orientation and a polycrystalline wurzite hexagonal structure. However, as increasing the SnO2 concentration, ZnO transforms to an amorphous phase. The results of the Hall-effect-measurement system revealed that the resistivity values of the films increased as increasing the doping level of SnO2. The AFM data of morphology and microstructure showed that the grain size decreased with increasing SnO2 contents while the total area of grain the boundary increased. The average value of the transmittance of the films in the visible light range was 80-95% and was shifted toward to the shorter wavelengths of the absorption edges with increasing SnO2 contents.