Thin Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Films Prepared Using an Electric Field-Modified Spray Pyrolysis Deposition Technique

Abstract

Very thin fluorine-doped tin oxide films (60–70 nm) were prepared on glass substrates at low deposition temperatures (275–300°C), these films showed an electrical resistivity of 3.2 ×10-4Ω-cm and a transparency of 88% at 625 nm with the application of a dc electric field on the film surface during growth using a spray pyrolysis deposition technique. In this first study of its kind, the applied electric field during growth by spray pyrolysis resulted in the reduction in the critical thickness and the increases in both the electrical conductivity and transparency of continuous films. The obtained X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that the films prepared with an electric field were polycrystalline, whereas those prepared without an electric field were amorphous. This method shows potential for producing very thin oxide films at a low deposition temperature with a high growth rate, an enhanced optical quality and an improved electrical conductivity.