Structural, electrical, and optical properties of Zn1−x Sn x O thin films deposited by reactive co-sputtering

Abstract

Zn1−xSnxO thin films were deposited on K9 glass and Si substrates by co-sputtering Zn and Sn targets under atmospheres of Ar and O2. The samples were then characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Seebeck effect, four-probe instrument, and UV/VIS spectrophotometry. XRD and Raman show that all the samples are hexagonal and Sn doping increases the stress greatly. EDX demonstrates that the atomic ratio of Sn to Sn plus Zn is 0.04–0.07. All the samples are n-type. The resistivity of Zn1−xSnxO is much smaller than that of undoped ZnO deposited under the same conditions. The optical bandgap of Zn1−xSnxO is also reduced compared with that of ZnO deposited under the same conditions.