Effect of plasma properties on the preparation of tin oxide thin film by means of DC planar magnetron plasma CVD

Abstract

There have been many recent studies on thin‐film deposition in plasma. However, only a few reports have considered the relation between the film deposition and plasma characteristics. In this study, the influence of the plasma characteristics on the thin‐film deposition was investigated via the dc planar magnetron plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. Assuming that the characteristics of inert gas plasma measured by probes are the same qualitatively as those of reactive gas plasma, tinoxide thin films which have been used for transparent electrodes, gas sensors, and so forth, are deposited. The decomposition of source materials is accelerated in the highdensity plasma region where the thin films deposited, are composed of highly densified particles and have a crystalline structure. The electrical conductivity of these films is higher than that of films formed in a low‐density plasma region.