Abstract
Highly transparent and conducting fluorine-doped ZnO (FZO) thin films were deposited onto glass substrates by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering, using 1.5 wt% zinc fluoride (ZnF2)-doped ZnO as sputtering target. Structural, electrical, and optical properties of the FZO thin films were investigated as a function of substrate temperature ranging from room temperature (RT) to 300°C. The cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation and X-ray diffraction analyses showed that the FZO thin films were of polycrystalline nature with a preferential growth along (002) plane perpendicular to the surface of the glass substrate. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analyses of the FZO thin films showed that there was incorporation of F atoms in the FZO thin films, even if the substrate temperature was 300°C. Finally, the effect of substrate temperature on the transmittance ratio, optical energy gap, Hall mobility, carrier concentration, and resistivity of the FZO thin films was also investigated.
Highlights
Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films based on zinc oxide (ZnO) are promising for applications in various optoelectronic devices
Much more interest has been given to TCOs based on ZnO such as undoped ZnO thin films [4], Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films [5], and Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films [6] due to their stability under hydrogen plasma which makes them a potential candidate for solar cells' technology based on thin-film silicon
The diffraction intensity of (002) peak critically increased as the substrate temperature increased from room temperature (RT) to 300°C, and a weak (004) peak was observed in the 300°Cdeposited fluorine-doped ZnO (FZO) thin films
Summary
Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films based on zinc oxide (ZnO) are promising for applications in various optoelectronic devices. ZnO-based thin films present a lot of advantages such as low material cost, non-toxicity, and high chemical stability under the hydrogen plasma as compared to tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) [1]. Transparent conducting ZnO thin films have already been extensively used in solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and liquid crystal displays as a substitute for ITO [2,3]. Much more interest has been given to TCOs based on ZnO such as undoped ZnO thin films [4], Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films [5], and Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films [6] due to their stability under hydrogen plasma which makes them a potential candidate for solar cells' technology based on thin-film silicon.
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