GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS AND PROPERTIES OF AL-DOPED ZnO THIN FILMS BY DC MAGNETRON SPUTTERING FROM AZOY® TARGET

Abstract

Transparent conducting Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates by DC magnetron sputtering with a novel sintered ceramic target, AZOY® that contains a small amount of Y2O3 in addition to Al2O3 and ZnO. The effect of substrate temperature (Ts) on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the prepared AZO films was evaluated extensively. By elevating Ts, both the electrical conductivity and optical transmittance in the Vis/NIR region of the film could be effectively improved. The substrate heating is closely related to the crystallinity and the surface morphology of the deposited films. It is noteworthy that by employing this target material, high quality AZO thin films could be deposited with a simple and cost effective DC magnetron sputtering system.