Electron scattering mechanisms in indium-tin-oxide thin films prepared at the various process conditions

The carrier concentrations and mobilities of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin films by DC magnetron sputtering at the various process conditions were measured by means of the Hall technique. The relationship between the carrier concentration and mobility showed two distinct features: (i) roughly up to the carrier concentration of 9.0 × 10²⁰/cm³, both the carrier concentration and mobility increased together; (ii) above the carrier concentration of 9.0 × 10²⁰/cm³, the carrier mobility decreased as the carrier concentration further increased. The distinct behavior of the carrier concentration and mobility was due to the transition of the dominant electron scattering mechanism. ITO thin film with a low degree of crystallinity was governed by the grain boundary scattering. However, the ionized impurity scattering was dominant in ITO thin film with a high carrier concentration over 9.0 × 10²⁰/cm³. The overall characterizations related to the carrier concentration and mobility were also performed using X-ray diffractometer, UV-vis-NIR spectrometer, scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope.