To read this content please select one of the options below:

Effect of thickness on optoelectronic properties of ITO thin films

Michał Mazur (Faculty of Microsystem Electronics and Photonics, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland)
Roman Pastuszek (Faculty of Microsystem Electronics and Photonics, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland)
Damian Wojcieszak (Faculty of Microsystem Electronics and Photonics, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland)
Danuta Kaczmarek (Faculty of Microsystem Electronics and Photonics, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland)
Jarosław Domaradzki (Faculty of Microsystem Electronics and Photonics, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland)
Agata Obstarczyk (Faculty of Microsystem Electronics and Photonics, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland)
Aneta Lubanska (Faculty of Microsystem Electronics and Photonics, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland)

Circuit World

ISSN: 0305-6120

Article publication date: 7 December 2020

Issue publication date: 23 March 2022

542

Abstract

Purpose

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a material belonging to the group of transparent conductive oxides, which are widely used in many fields of technology including optoelectronics and photovoltaics. However, the properties of ITO thin films depend on many factors. Therefore, the aim of the study was thorough investigation of the properties of sputtered ITO thin films of various thicknesses.

Design/methodology/approach

ITO coatings were deposited by magnetron sputtering in pure argon atmosphere using ceramic ITO target. Various deposition times resulted in obtaining thin films with different thickness, which had significant influence on the optoelectronic properties of deposited coatings. In this work the results of investigation of structural, surface, optical and electrical properties were presented.

Findings

Increase of the coating thickness caused change of the microstructure from amorphous to nanocrystalline and occurrence of grains with a size of 40 to 60 nm on their surface. Moreover, the fundamental absorption edge was red-shifted, whereas the average transmission in the visible wavelength range remained similar. Increase of the thickness caused considerable decrease of the sheet resistance and resistivity. It was found that even thin films with a thickness of 10 nm had antistatic properties.

Originality/value

The novelty and originality of presented work consists in, among other, determination of antistatic properties of ITO thin films with various sheet resistances that are in the range typical for dielectric and semiconducting material. To date, there are no reports on such investigations in the literature. Reported findings might be very helpful in the case of, for example, construction of transparent antireflective and antistatic multilayers.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This work was co-financed by Polish National Science Centre NCN from a sources of a research project number DEC-2018/29/B/ST8/00548 in the years 2019–2022.

Citation

Mazur, M., Pastuszek, R., Wojcieszak, D., Kaczmarek, D., Domaradzki, J., Obstarczyk, A. and Lubanska, A. (2022), "Effect of thickness on optoelectronic properties of ITO thin films", Circuit World, Vol. 48 No. 2, pp. 149-159. https://doi.org/10.1108/CW-11-2019-0170

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles