Low-temperature deposition of ITO thin films by sputter-beam deposition

摘要

Tin (Sn)-doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films have been deposited at a low temperature (about room temperature) by using sputter-beam deposition (SBD) in which kinetic energies of the sputtered particles incident to the substrate normal can be controlled in the formation of the films. Structure of the ITO films changed significantly with gas pressure in the sputtering source. The ITO films obtained at a gas pressure of 0.7 mTorr had a crystalline phase, while at gas pressures above 2 mTorr, amorphous-like films were obtained. These films had excellent surface smoothness along with a low resistivity between 7.2×10{sup}(-4)Ω·cm and 3×10{sup}(-4)Ω·cm and high transparency in visible region. These indicate the high potential of SBD for obtaining low-resistivity ITO thin films at low temperatures.