Gallium-doped zinc oxide films deposited using an unbalanced magnetron sputtering system

Gallium-doped zinc oxide films are deposited using an unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. The films are deposited by dc sputtering of a conducting ceramic target in an argon atmosphere. The substrate temperature is 150°C. The film surface morphology is studied by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. As the degree of magnetron unbalance increases, the electrophysical properties of the films deposited along the system axis are shown to improve, and the distribution of the film electrical resistivity over the substrate surface becomes more uniform.