Improved properties of Ti-doped ZnO thin films by hydrogen plasma treatment

• Published in: Thin solid films 2011-05, Vol.519 (15), p.5178-5182
• Main Authors: Wang, F.H., Chang, H.P., Chao, J.C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical vapor deposition; 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; Desorption; Electrical properties of specific thin films; Electrical resistivity; Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures; Exact sciences and technology; Grain boundaries; Hydrogen plasma; Magnetic properties; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Orientation; Physics; Physics of gases, plasmas and electric discharges; Physics of plasmas and electric discharges; Plasma applications; Sputter; Structure and morphology; thickness; Substrate temperature; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Thin film structure and morphology; Thin films; Ti-doped zinc oxide (TZO)
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2011.01.083

This work investigates the effects of substrate temperature ( T S ) and hydrogen plasma post-treatment on the properties of TZO thin films prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputter. All films had a (002) preferential orientation along the c axis at 2θ ~ 34°. As T S increased from room temperature to 300 °C, the structural, electrical, and optical characteristics of the TZO films were enhanced. The hydrogen plasma was performed by a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system at 300 °C. The film resistivity decreased markedly by 60% to 1.20 × 10 − 3 Ω cm after a 90-min treatment in comparison with that of the as-deposited film. The improved characteristics of the plasma-treated TZO films are attributed to the formation of shallow donors and the desorption of oxygen species at grain boundaries during hydrogen plasma treatment.