Influence of oxygen and argon flow on properties of aluminum-doped zinc oxide thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Zhu, Hongni; Wang, Hemei; Wan, Wenqiong; Yu, Shijin; Feng, Xi‐Qiao

doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2014.07.021

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…In fact, due to a decrease in the argon sputtering yield, the film formation process is slowed down, providing sufficient time for Zn 2þ and O 2À ions to arrange in an ordered layer, so the crystalline film exhibits fewer defects and higher crystallinity. 46 However, due to the increase in the oxygen content, it is probable that the strong affinity between aluminum and oxygen can result in the formation of clusters of nonconducting aluminum oxide (such as Al 2 O 3 ). Such clusters could cause crystalline disorder in the coating and perform as carrier traps rather than electron donors.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, as no such clusters of nonconducting Al 2 O 3 were observed by XRD, this possibility can be ruled out. 46 The surface morphology and cross-sections of the AZO films were analyzed by SEM (Fig. 5), revealing a significant change in the surface morphology and thickness of the coating with increasing oxygen admixture in the argon gas.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At low oxygen content, the argon gas causes intensive sputtering of the target, resulting in a higher deposition rate on the surface of the sample, and insufficient time is available for the particles to form an orderly arrangement. 46 In contrast, when the oxygen content is increased, due to the reduction in the argon content in the gas mixture, the deposition rate of sputtered particles decreases and the particles are deposited in an orderly arrangement. 46 The cross-sectional analysis further supports this explanation: the films on all the samples exhibited columnar structure and preferred growth orientation along c-axis (as also supported by the XRD Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…46 In contrast, when the oxygen content is increased, due to the reduction in the argon content in the gas mixture, the deposition rate of sputtered particles decreases and the particles are deposited in an orderly arrangement. 46 The cross-sectional analysis further supports this explanation: the films on all the samples exhibited columnar structure and preferred growth orientation along c-axis (as also supported by the XRD Fig. 4.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Synthesis of Al-Doped ZnO Films Assisted with Hollow-Cathode Glow Discharge and Their Characterization

Queiroz

Naeem

Filho

et al. 2021

J. Electron. Mater.

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Transparent conductive oxides, such as aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), are of substantial importance for use in a broad range of applications because of their excellent optical and electrical properties. AZO film can be deposited by using several conventional techniques, although they suffer from limitations such as long deposition time, high cost, and the requirement for complex deposition equipment. Here, we used hollow-cathode glow discharge, which produces a high-density plasma and achieves high deposition efficiency. Remarkably, instead of metallic target materials, we used Al 2 O 3 and ZnO powders filled in the hollow cathode as a target, thus avoiding the need for specifically designed targets in this technique. The films were deposited using mixtures of argon and oxygen at various ratios (0% to 50% oxygen), to improve the film characteristics. The films deposited under all conditions exhibited hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure, while the grain size increased with increasing oxygen content. The film was thick and porous when using low oxygen content, but became thin and dense with increasing oxygen content. The optical transmittance was found to be strongly dependent on the processing gases used, with the highest transmittance of 84% being attained when using 25% oxygen gas. The bandgap of the films lay between 3.27 eV and 3.33 eV. The highest carrier concentration and mobility were attained when using 25% oxygen, and the Hall resistivity decreased with increasing oxygen content. Besides the excellent transmittance and electrical properties of the deposited films, it is expected that the results of this study will be useful for solar cells and optoelectronic applications due to the relatively low cost of this technique and the lack of specific target requirements.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Synthesis of Al-Doped ZnO Films Assisted with Hollow-Cathode Glow Discharge and Their Characterization

Queiroz

Naeem

Filho

et al. 2021

J. Electron. Mater.

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“…Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZAO) films are especially attractive materials among different oxide materials because of the abundance of raw materials, low cost, environmental friendliness, and stability in hydrogen plasma. The effects of the substrate temperature on the properties of ZnO thin films have been reported by many research groups [1][2][3] . ZAO film's quality and its photoelectric performance are affected by process parameters such as substrate temperature [4] , sputtering time [5] , sputtering power [6] , target-substrate distance, working pressure [7] , annealing temperature and annealing time [4,8] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Transparent Conductive Thin Films of Aluminum-doped Zinc Oxide Prepared by Magnetron Sputtering

Zhu¹,

Wang²,

Gong³

et al. 2016

Proceedings of the 2nd Annual International Conference on Advanced Material Engineering (AME 2016)

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Transparent conductive thin films of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZAO) were prepared by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering with ZAO (98 wt% ZnO, 2 wt% Al 2 O 3) as the ceramic target. The visible transmittance was investigated by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, the carrier concentration and Hall mobility were measured by the Van der Pauw method, and the phase composition was characterized by X-ray diffraction. The results show that the substrate temperature was a dominant factor of the properties, with the ZnO film deposited at a substrate temperature of 200 °C and a pure-argon gas pressure of 1 Pa exhibiting optimal performance. The resistivity and average transmittance in the wavelength range of 300-760 nm were 2.0 × 10 −4 Ω cm and 90.6%, respectively.

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Effect of Sputtering Power on the Optical and Electrical Properties of ITO Films on a Flexible Fluorphlogopite Substrate

Zhu

Zhang

et al. 2021

Crystal Research and Technology

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In this study, magnetron sputtering is implemented to adjust the sputtering power from 156 to 306 W at room temperature, and thin film samples of indium tin oxide (ITO) on a flexible fluorphlogopite substrate are taken. With the increase in power, the resistivity of the film first decreases and then increases. The resistivity is at least 1.51 × 10–3 Ω cm at 276 W, and the highest resistivity is 2.93 × 10–2 Ω cm at 156 W. The average light transmittance of the film (400–800 nm) decreases with the increase in power within the range of 156–276 W, The highest average transmittance is 92.6% at 156 W. The quality factor of the film first rises and then decreases as the power increases, it is as high as 4.47 × 10–3 Ω–1sq at 276 W. All the AFMs show that the roughness of the sample does not significantly change with power. The SEM picture shows that as the power increases from 156 to 276 W, the grain size increases slightly. All samples are bent 1200 times around a steel cylinder, and the sheet resistance does not change more than 5%.

show abstract

Influence of oxygen and argon flow on properties of aluminum-doped zinc oxide thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Cited by 12 publications

References 32 publications

Synthesis of Al-Doped ZnO Films Assisted with Hollow-Cathode Glow Discharge and Their Characterization

Synthesis of Al-Doped ZnO Films Assisted with Hollow-Cathode Glow Discharge and Their Characterization

Transparent Conductive Thin Films of Aluminum-doped Zinc Oxide Prepared by Magnetron Sputtering

Effect of Sputtering Power on the Optical and Electrical Properties of ITO Films on a Flexible Fluorphlogopite Substrate

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