The influence of annealing atmosphere on the material properties of sol-gel derived SnO_2:Sb films before and after annealing

摘要

SnO_2 films with and without Sb doping were prepared by the sol-gel spin-coating method. Material properties of the SnO_2 films with different Sb contents were investigated before and after annealing under O_2 or N_2. When SnO_2 films are annealed under N_2 or O_2, the resistivity decreases with increasing annealing temperature, which may be related to the increased crystallinity and reduced film defects. The intensity of SnO_2 peaks for both O_2- and N_2-annealed films increases as the annealing temperature increases. Small nodules are revealed on the surface of SnO_2 films after annealing in N_2 or O_2 atmospheres, and some voids are present on the surface of N_2-annealed SnO_2 films. After doping with Sb, the resistivity of SnO_2 films after annealing in O_2 is greater than that of N_2-annealed SnO_2 films. The surface morphology of SnO_2 films incorporating different molar ratios of Sb after annealing are similar to that of as-spun SnO_2 films with adding Sb. There were no voids found on the surfaces of N_2-annealed SnO_2:Sb films. In addition, the peak intensity of SnO_2:Sb films after O_2-annealing is higher than those films after N_2-annealing. The chemical binding states and Hall mobility of the high-temperature annealed SnO_2 films without and with adding Sb are also related to the annealing atmospheres. This study discusses the connection among the material properties of the SnO_2 films with different Sb contents and how these properties are influenced by the Sb-doping concentration and the annealing atmospheres of SnO_2 films.