Microstructural and functional stability of large-scale SnO2:F thin film with micro-nano structure

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds 2013-02, Vol.550, p.144-149
• Main Authors: Gao, Q., Li, M., Li, X., Liu, Y., Song, C.L., Wang, J.X., Liu, Q.Y., Liu, J.B., Han, G.R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electrical properties of specific thin films; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Exact sciences and technology; Fluorine-doped tin oxide; Glass; Grain boundaries; Grains; Homogeneous; Low-emission glass; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Micro-nano structure; Microstructure; Nanostructure; Other inorganic semiconductors; Physics; Stability; Thin films; Tin dioxide; Tin oxides
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2012.09.119

► The large-scale uniform SnO2:F film was prepared by APCVD on an industrial line. ► The SnO2:F film presented a micro-nano structure. ► The film showed uniform morphology and stable functional property under 580°C. ► ‘H’ factor was defined to quantify the structural influence on the low-e property. The large-scale homogeneous fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO2:F) thin film was successfully deposited on glass by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) method on an industrial production line. XRD, SEM and TEM were employed to investigate the film morphological and microstructural variation. It was observed for the first time that the as-deposited SnO2:F thin film presented a typical micro-nano structure, of which the micro-sized grains (100–300nm) were assembled by nano-sized crystallites (