Preparation by reactive deposition and some physical properties of amorphous tin oxide films and crystalline SnO 2 films

Abstract

Tin oxide films were reactively deposited at oxygen pressures of (0.3–5) × 10 -3 Torr and at substrate temperatures of 60–420 °C. The dependence of the crystalline phase of the films on the deposition conditions was studied by X-ray diffraction. It was found that, depending on the substrate temperature, amorphous films or crystalline SnO 2 films were deposited at pressures above about 10 -3 Torr. The amorphous films were non-conducting but their resistivity could be reduced to less than 1 Ω cm by heat treatment in air at 250 or 300 °C. This decrease in resistivity was accompanied by an increase in the light transmission to about 90%. The crystalline SnO 2 films were conducting, had a resistivity of the order of 10 -2 Ω cm and were highly transparent with an average light transmission of about 90%.