Effect of cesium assistance on the electrical and structural properties of indium tin oxide films grown by magnetron sputtering

Abstract

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited by cesium (Cs)-assisted dc magnetron sputtering in an attempt to achieve a high performance at low temperatures. The films were deposited on SiO2∕Si wafer and glass (Eagle 2000) substrates at a substrate temperature of 100°C with a Cs vapor flow during the deposition process. The ITO thin films deposited in the presence of Cs vapor showed better crystallinity than the control films grown under normal Ar∕O2 plasma conditions. The resistivity of the films with the Cs assistance was lower than that of the control films. The lowest resistivity of 6.2×10−4Ωcm, which is ∼20% lower than that of the control sample, was obtained without any postdeposition thermal annealing. The surface roughness increased slightly when Cs vapor was added. The optical transmittance was >80% at wavelengths ranging from 380to700nm.