Microstructure and optoelectronic properties of gallium- titanium-zinc oxide thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering

Gallium-titanium-zinc oxide(GTZO) transparent conducting oxide(TCO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The dependences of the microstructure and optoelectronic properties of GTZO thin films on Ar gas pressure were observed. The X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) results show that all the deposited films are polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and have a preferred orientation along the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. With the increment of Ar gas pressure, the microstructure and optoelectronic properties of GTZO thin films will be changed. When Ar gas pressure is 0.4 Pa, the deposited films possess the best crystal quality and optoelectronic properties.     

Fabrication and characterization of transparent conducting titanium-zinc oxide nanostructured thin films

Nano transparent conducting titanium-zinc oxide (Ti-ZnO) thin films were prepared on glass substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique. The deposited films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), four-probe meter and UV-visible spectrophotometer. The effects of Ti-doping content on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the films are investigated. The XRD results show that the obtained films are polycrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and preferentially oriented in the (002) crystallographic direction. The structural and optoelectronic characteristics of the deposited films are subjected to the Ti-doping content. The Ti-ZnO sample fabricated with the Ti-doping content of 3% (weight percentage) possesses the best crystallinity and optoelectronic performance, with the highest degree of preferred (002) orientation of 99.87%, the largest crystallite size of 83.2 nm, the minimum lattice strain of 6.263´10-4, the highest average visible transmittance of 88.8%, the lowest resistivity of 1.18×10-3 W?cm and the maximum figure of merit (FOM) of 7.08×103 W-1?cm-1. Furthermore, the optical bandgaps of the films are evaluated by extrapolation method and observed to be an increasing tendency with the increase of the Ti-doping content.     

Effects of discharge power on the structural and optical properties of TGZO thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering technique

The transparent semiconductors of Ti and Ga-incorporated ZnO (TGZO) thin films were prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering onto glass substrates. The effects of discharge power on the physical properties of thin films are studied. Experimental results show that all nanocrystalline TGZO thin films possess preferential orientation along the (002) plane. The discharge power significantly affects the crystal structure and optical properties of thin films. When the discharge power is 200 W, the TGZO thin film has the optimal crystalline quality and optical properties, with the narrowest full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 1.76´10-3 rad, the largest average grain size of 82.4 nm and the highest average transmittance of 84.3% in the visible range. The optical gaps of thin films are estimated by the Tauc’s relation and observed to increase firstly and then decrease with the increase of the discharge power. In addition, the optical parameters, including refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric function and dissipation factor of the thin films, are determined by optical characterization methods. The dispersion behavior of the refractive index is also analyzed using the Sellmeier’s dispersion model.