Abstract
The study of tin oxide films is stimulated by the search for an alternative replacement of indium-tin oxide (ITO) films used as transparent conductors, oxidation catalysts, material gas sensors, etc. This work was aimed at studying the influence of argon ions irradiation on optical and electrical characteristics of tin oxide films. Thin films of tin oxide (without dopants) were deposited on glass substrates at room temperature using reactive magnetron sputtering. After deposition, the films were irradiated with an argon ion beam. The current density of the beam was (were) 2.5 mA/cm2, and the particles energy was 300-400 eV. The change of the optical and electrical properties of the films depending on the irradiation time was studied. Films optical properties were investigated by photometry in the range of 300-1100 nm. Films structural properties were studied using X-ray diffraction. The diffractometric research showed that the films, deposited on a substrate, had a crystal structure, and after argon ions irradiation they became quasi-crystalline (amorphous). It has been found that the transmission increases proportionally with the irradiation time, however the sheet resistance increases disproportionally. Tin oxide films (thickness ~30 nm) with ~100% transmittance and sheet resistance of ~100 kOhm/sq. were obtained. The study has proved to be prospective in the use of ion beams to improve the properties of transparent conducting oxides.
Highlights
The transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films are widely used in various industries
We have studied the influence of the irradiation of the pure tin oxide films argon ions after deposition ontheir the optical and electrical properties
All freshly prepared tin oxide films were transparent dielectrics. This is due to deposition by reactive magnetron sputtering that was performed in an atmosphere with the excess oxygen content
Summary
The transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films are widely used in various industries. One of the most widely used TCO substances is indium tin oxide (ITO) because it has high electrical conductivity and optical transparency. Because of the high cost of indium,the research has been conducted to find an alternative replacement for ITO This is a compound based on tin oxide (dopant-Sb, F, As, Nb, Ta), zinc (dopant- Sn, Ge, Mo, F, Ti, Zr, Hf, Nb, W, Te), and other elements. SnO2 and ZnO impurities increase their conductivity, but it does not reach the values obtained for the ITO films. It is not necessary in some practical applications (very large conductivity).
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