Optical properties of SnO x thin films: experimental data and theoretical model

Abstract

Snox films were made by reactive ifmagnetron sputtering of Sn in Ar + onto unheated glass. Electrical dc resistivity (Pdc) and spectral optical properties were measured as a function of sputtering parameters. A sharp minimum in Pdc was found at a well-defined gas mixture. Optimized deposition parameters gave films with Pdc 3 x iO c2 cmat low sputter rate (r) and Pdc 102 ç cm at r -3 nm/s. The luminous transmittance was -75 %. The optical and electrical properties could be quantitatively reconciled with a theoretical model for wide-bandgap semiconductors, heavily n-doped by doubly ionized oxygen vacancies, that accounted for ionized impurity scattering of the free electrons.