Effect of Post-Deposition Annealing on the Structural Evolution and Optoelectronic Properties of In₂O₃:H Thin Films

An infrared transparent conductive material is a solution to realize the shielding function of infrared windows against electromagnetic waves, by combining the two characteristics of high transmission and conductivity in infrared wavelengths. Indium-hydroxide-doped (In₂O₃:H) thin films were prepared by atomic layer deposition method, which can achieve high IR transmission by reducing the carrier concentration on the basis of ensuring the electrical properties. On this basis, the effect of the post-deposition annealing process on the microstructure evolution and optoelectronic properties of In₂O₃:H thin films was investigated in this paper. It is demonstrated that the carrier mobility after annealing is up to 90 cm²/(V·s), and the transmittance at the 4 μm is about 70%, meanwhile, the carrier concentration after annealing in air atmosphere is reduced to 10¹⁹ cm^-3, with a transmission rate of up to 83% at 4 μm. The simulations visualize the shielding performance of the annealed In₂O₃:H thin film against radar electromagnetic waves. It provides a guideline for fabricating lightweight, thin, and multi-functional shielding infrared transparent materials in the key fields of spacecraft and high precision electronics.