AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Thin Film Wednesday Sessions
       Session TF-WeM

Paper TF-WeM1
Preparation of Transparent Conducting B-doped ZnO Films by Vacuum Arc Plasma Evaporation

Wednesday, November 15, 2006, 8:00 am, Room 2022

Session: Thin Films for Photovoltaics and Energy Applications
Presenter: T. Miyata, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
Authors: T. Miyata, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
Y. Honma, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
T. Minami, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan
Correspondent: Click to Email
Recently, a newly developed vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) method providing high-rate film depositions on large area substrates has attracted much attention for transparent conducting oxide film depositions. In this paper, we describe highly transparent and conductive B-doped ZnO (BZO) thin films prepared by the VAPE method using sintered BZO fragments. It was found that the obtained electrical and optical properties of deposited BZO thin films were considerably affected by the B content doped into films as well as the preparation condition of the BZO fragments used. Fragments suitable for preparing low resistivity BZO films were obtained by breaking previously sintered disks into small pieces; a mixture of ZnO and B@sub 2@O@sub 3@ powders was pressed and then sintered at a temperature above about 900@super o@C in a pure Ar gas atmosphere to produce the disks. In particular, the B content doped into deposited BZO thin films could be controlled by varying the B content of the BZO fragments used. The lowest resistivity was obtained with a B content (B/(B+Zn) atomic ratio) of approximately 1 at.%. To obtain high transmittance, it was necessary to introduce O@sub 2@ gas during film preparation on low temperature substrates that were below approximately 150@super o@C. Low resistivities of 7.9X10@super â?"4@ and 5.1X10@super â?"4@@ohm@cm and a high average transmittance above 85% in the visible region were obtained in BZO thin films prepared with a high deposition rate at glass substrate temperatures of 100 and 200@super o@C, respectively.