Abstract
We have investigated the influence of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) temperature on properties of Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films deposited on glass substrate by using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The RTA is performed in a nitrogen ambient in the temperature range from 300 to <TEX>$600^{\circ}C$</TEX> for 1 minute in a rapid thermal annealer after growing the AZO thin films. The crystallographic structure and the surface morphology of AZO thin film are measured by using X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The optical transmittance of the deposited thin films is examined in the wavelength range of 300-1100 nm, where the average transmittance is above the 90% in the visible and near-infrared regions. The optical bandgap is calculated from the Tauc's model, and it shows a significant dependence on the RTA temperature. As for the electrical properties of the thin films, the AZO thin film annealed at <TEX>$400^{\circ}C$</TEX> shows the lowest electrical resistivity of <TEX>$8.6{\times}10^{-3}{\Omega}cm$</TEX> and the Hall mobility of <TEX>$11.3cm^2$</TEX>/V-sec. These results suggest that the RTA temperature is an important parameter to influence on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of AZO thin films.
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