Effect of O2/Ar ratio and sputtering power on the photoelectric properties of antimony doped tin oxide films on ZnO layer

• Published in: Applied physics. A, Materials science & processing Materials science & processing, 2021, Vol.127 (10), Article 734
• Main Authors: Shao, Jing, Shen, Honglie, Saddique, Jaffer, Meng, Weili, Gao, Kai, Wang, Xuewen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antimony; Applied physics; Bilayers; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Condensed Matter Physics; Electric properties; Gas flow; Light transmission; Machines; Magnetic properties; Magnetron sputtering; Manufacturing; Materials science; Nanotechnology; Near infrared radiation; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical properties; Optimization; Oxide coatings; Photoelectric effect; Photoelectricity; Photovoltaic cells; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Processes; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Tin oxides; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 0947-8396; 1432-0630
• DOI: 10.1007/s00339-021-04868-0

Double-layer films of ZnO and antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) have great potential for application in photoelectric devices by the integration of the ultraviolet (UV) absorbance of the ZnO layer and the near-infrared (NIR) blocking and conductivity induced by the ATO film. Thus the nanostructure of ATO film on the surface of the ZnO layer plays an important role in determining the photoelectric property of ZnO/ATO bilayer film. In this work, ATO films are deposited on the ZnO layer by a radio frequency magnetron sputtering method and the structures and photoelectric properties, particularly the electric properties of ATO films on the ZnO layer are investigated by the regulation of gas flow ratio of O 2 /Ar and the sputtering power. After optimization of the conditions depositing ATO films on the ZnO layer, which is at an O 2 /Ar ratio of 2:13 with sputtering power of 150 W, ATO film shows a good conductivity of about 213.4 Scm −1 after annealing in nitrogen at 500 °C for 1 h. The double-layer film of 500 nm ATO film on 200 nm thick ZnO layer presents good optical properties with a high UV-blocking of 96% (280–380 nm), a NIR-blocking of 80% (1100–2500 nm) and light transmission of about 70% (380–1100 nm).