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Tantalum-doped tin oxide thin films using hollow cathode gas flow sputtering technology
Fangfang Huo1, Ruslan Muydinov1, Bertwin Bilgrim Otto Seibertz1
1Institute für High-Frequency and Semiconductor-System Technologies, Technische Universität Berlin, Einsteinufer 25, 10587, Berlin, Germany.
Heliyon
|May 27, 2024
Summary
Tantalum doped tin oxide (TTO) thin films achieved ultra-low resistivity using gas flow sputtering (GFS). Substrate temperature significantly impacted TTO film properties, with optimal doping effects observed at 270°C.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Thin Film Technology
- Semiconductor Physics
Background:
- Tin oxide (SnO2) is a promising transparent conductive oxide.
- Doping SnO2 enhances its electrical and optical properties.
- Gas flow sputtering (GFS) offers advantages for thin film deposition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prepare and characterize tantalum doped tin oxide (TTO) thin films.
- To investigate the effect of substrate temperature on TTO film properties.
- To demonstrate the efficacy of GFS for producing high-quality TTO films.
Main Methods:
- Reactive hollow cathode gas flow sputtering (GFS) on glass substrates.
- In-situ heating under vacuum prior to sputtering.
- Characterization using SEM, XRD, and AFM.
Main Results:
- Achieved ultra-low resistivity of 2.02 × 10^-3 Ω cm with high carrier concentration (2.55 × 10^20 cm^-3).
- Film resistivity decreased with increasing substrate temperature.
- Tantalum doping showed a stronger effect on resistivity and carrier concentration at 270°C.
- Increased substrate temperature and Ta doping reduced the refractive index.
Conclusions:
- GFS enables reproducible fabrication of high-performance TTO thin films.
- Substrate temperature is a critical parameter for optimizing TTO properties.
- GFS offers advantages over magnetron sputtering, including stable operation and no need for target oxidization control.
