F. Barlow et al., COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF ITO THICK-FILMS PRODUCED UNDER OPTIMUM ANNEALING CONDITIONS, Solar energy materials and solar cells, 33(1), 1994, pp. 63-71
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.