Tantalum-doped tin oxide thin films using hollow cathode gas flow sputtering technology

SnO₂ and tantalum doped SnO₂ (TTO) thin films were prepared using reactive hollow cathode gas flow sputtering (GFS) on glass substrates. An in-situ heating process under vacuum preceded the sputtering. The resistivity of the tin oxide films was reduced to a remarkable low of 2.02 × 10^-3 Ω cm, with a carrier concentration of 2.55 × 10²⁰ cm^-3 and a mobility of 12.11 cm²V^-1s^-1. As the substrate temperature increased, the film resistivity decreased. Notably, at a substrate temperature of 270 °C, the effect of Ta doping on the film resistivity and carrier concentration was significantly stronger compared to higher temperatures. Elevating the substrate temperature and Ta doping resulted in a lower refractive index (n). This effect was consistently strong at higher temperatures, attributed to the higher film-free carrier concentration (4.54 × 10²⁰ cm^-3) compared to lower temperatures (2.35 × 10²⁰ cm^-3). The film's structure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The preferred direction of film growth was discussed. The successful and reproducible fabrication of tin oxide films underscores the advantages of gas flow sputtering (GFS) technology. GFS offers stable operating conditions across various oxygen flow levels without requiring target oxidization control, as is required in magnetron sputtering when managing gas status and film quality.