Effects of sputtering power toward the Al-doped ZnO thin Film prepared by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering

Abstract

Aluminum-doped zinc-oxide (AZO) thin films were deposited on silicon wafers and glass substrates by a pulsed DC magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The influence of different sputtering powers during the film deposition towards the obtained thin films was investigated. The crystal structures, physical morphologies, optical transmission, and electrical properties of the AZO films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), spectrophotometer, and hall-effect measurements, respectively. The results demonstrated that all the AZO thin films exhibited the hexagonal structure, where the growth orientation between (002) and (103) were changed with the increase of the sputtering power. In addition, the average transmission of the AZO thin films was high to 87% in the visible region, indicating that the optical transmission was significantly influenced by the sputtering power. Furthermore, the resistivity, the charge mobility, and the carrier concentration of the AZO thin films were improved with the increased sputtering power. Finally, the improved conductivity related to the film crystallinity and thickness was determined and discussed.