Optical and structural properties of SnO2 films grown by a low-cost CVD technique

• Published in: Materials letters 2002-05, Vol.54 (2-3), p.158-163
• Main Authors: RAJARAM, P, GOSWAMI, Y. C, RAJAGOPALAN, S, GUPTA, V. K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical vapor deposition (including plasma-enhanced cvd, mocvd, etc.); Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of specific thin films; Other semiconductors; Physics; Structure and morphology; thickness; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Thin film structure and morphology
• ISSN: 0167-577X; 1873-4979
• DOI: 10.1016/S0167-577X(01)00555-9

Highly conducting and transparent SnO2 thin films were grown on quartz and glass slides. Undoped SnO2 films about 250 nm thick had a sheet resistance below 100 Ohm/vacancy and transmission between 94% and 99.9% in most of the visible spectrum. Thicker films (around 500 nm to 1 micron) had a sheet resistance as low as 10 Ohm/vacancy with a transmission coefficient of 70% in the visible spectrum. XRD studies show that as the growth temperature is increased from 300 towards 400 C, the diffraction peaks become sharper, indicating an improved crystallinity. Films grown at 400 C have the best crystallinity with a very sharp and highly intense major peak. SIMS depth profiles show that the films have a uniform composition along the depth. 18 refs.