Paper TF-ThP18
Structural and Electrical Characterization of rf Magnetron Sputtered Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 6:00 pm, Room Hall 3

We present a study of the relationship between structural properties and opto-electronic quality of aluminum doped zinc oxide produced by rf magnetron sputtering. Thin films (300-400 nm thick) were deposited as a function of substrate temperature, working gas (argon) pressure, and oxygen partial pressure. Structural measurements included x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. Electrical measurements included resistivity, Hall effect, and optical transmission. Substrate temperature had a strong effect on the crystalline quality of the films as inferred from xrd, infrared, and Raman measurements. Working gas pressure and oxygen partial pressure had a much weaker effect on the crystal structure. Good opto-electronic properties were not always correlated with good crystal quality. In particular good electronic quality films could be produced under deposition conditions that resulted in poor crystal quality. A simple model is presented that relates the crystal quality to the electronic properties accounting for dopant activation, grain boundary scattering, and ionized impurity scattering.