Effect of RF Power on the Structural Properties of Magnetron Sputtered ZnO Thin Films Deposited at Room Temperature

Abstract

Zinc oxide thin films were prepared at room temperature in pure argon ambient on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The effect of sputtering power (50~250 Watt) on the structural properties of the film were investigated. The thickness of ZnO thin films was measured using surface profiler (Dektak 150+). Atomic force microscopy machine (AFM-Park system XE-100) was used to characterize the morphology while the crystalinity have been characterized using XRD (Rigaku Ultima IV). It was found that the thickness, growth rate and RMS roughness increases with increasing RF power. All films exhibit the (002) plane which correspond to hexagonal wurtzite structure with the highest peak at 150 Watt.