Characteristics of indium tin oxide thin films prepared using electron beam evaporation

Abstract

Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) is widely utilized in numerous industrial applications due to its unique combined properties of transparency to visible light and electrical conductivity. The optical and electrical properties of ITO films are affected strongly by the concentration of Sn 4+. In this study, thin films of ITO were fabricated using electron beam evaporation under various vapor pressure conditions and under ion beam irradiation. X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to measure the components and the chemical state of these thin films. Electrical and optical measurements were also carried out. It was found that the films deposited under an oxygen atmosphere had a composition with a lower Sn 4+ concentration. Films deposited with ion beam irradiation, had the lowest Sn 4+ concentration. It was also concluded that for low resistivity, an optimum amount of the concentration of Sn 4+ is needed and for higher transmittance, a lower concentration of Sn 4+ is demanded.