AVS 50th International Symposium
    Thin Films Tuesday Sessions
       Session TF-TuA

Paper TF-TuA8
Highly Transparent and Conductive ZnO:Al Thin Films Prepared by Vacuum Arc Plasma Evaporation

Tuesday, November 4, 2003, 4:20 pm, Room 329

Session: Transparent Conducting Oxides
Presenter: T. Miyata, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
Authors: T. Miyata, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
S. Ida, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
Y. Minamino, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
T. Minami, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
Correspondent: Click to Email
Recently, we reported preparation of undoped and impurity-doped ZnO thin films on large area substrates by a newly developed vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) method using oxide fragments as a low-cost source material. Resistivities on the order of 10@super -4@@ohm@cm were obtained in Ga- or F-doped ZnO thin films. However, doping Al into ZnO films was very difficult because of the large difference in decomposition energy (vapor pressure) between Al@sub 2@O@sub 3@ and ZnO. In this paper, we describe the preparation of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films by a newly developed VAPE method using ZnO fragments and a gas source Al dopant. The film depositions were carried out under the following conditions: substrate, large area glass; substrate temperature, RT to 450@super o@C; oxide fragments, sintered ZnO; pressure, 0.08 to 1 Pa; Al dopant gas pressure (flow rate), 0.01 to 0.5 Pa; Ar and O2 gas flow rates, 20 and 0 to 20 sccm; and cathode plasma power, 4.5 to 10 kW. A low resistivity on the order of 10@super -4@@ohm@cm and an average transmittance above 85% in the visible range were obtained in AZO thin films. In addition, a deposition rate of 150 nm/min as well as a uniform distribution of resistivity and thickness on the substrate surface was obtained. It was found that the Al content in AZO films was altered by varying the partial pressure (or flow rate) of the Al dopant gas. It is concluded that the newly developed VAPE method, using both oxide fragments and gas sources as source materials, is very effective for the preparation of multicomponent oxide thin films.