PLD of transparent and conductive AZO thin films

Abstract

The pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of aluminium (2 wt %) doped with zinc oxide (98 wt %) (AZO) on glass substrates showed structures and morphology in the nanoscale. The deposition of the AZO thin films was completed at chosen substrate temperatures and low partial pressure of 20 mTorr. The laser energy density fixed at 4 J/cm2 appeared suitable for the ablation of bulk AZO and reduced the probable arrival of droplets onto the substrates. Moreover, the AZO films were deposited at a target-to-substrate distance of 5.78 cm, and the calculated crystallite size ranged from 31.1 to 45.4 nm. The lowest film resistivity of 6.8 × 10−5 Ω cm at an average optical transmittance of 83 % in the UV–vis–NIR region confirms the effect and relevance of the preparation procedure. These observations confirm the AZO thin film crystallinity with an average bandgap energy of 3.36 eV extrapolated relative to the photon energy. Thus, the PLD technique ensures a more significant avenue toward the growth of crack-free and reliable thin films with improved electrical and optical properties.