COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF ITO THICK-FILMS PRODUCED UNDER OPTIMUM ANNEALING CONDITIONS

Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) is a transparent semiconductor that can be form ed so that it exhibits a very low resistivity. The applications of thi s material include solar cells, photodetectors, and transparent contac ts for devices such as flat panel displays, and touch sensitive cathod e ray tube screens. The authors have investigated the role of both vac uum and reducing atmosphere (N2 + H-2) annealing on the properties of thick film ITO. Both vacuum annealing and forming gas (N2 + H-2) annea ling result in films with significantly lower resistivity than unannea led films. Samples with sheet resistances of 150 OMEGA/square have bee n produced. These values are the lowest reported to date for ITO thick films. Optical characterization including transmission and reflectivi ty have been conducted, as well as examination of the conductivity as a function of temperature.