STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF ION-IMPLANTATION ON THE ELECTRICAL AND MICROSTRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF TIN-DOPED INDIUM OXIDE THIN-FILMS

Ion implantation of H-2+ or O+ ions in the range 0-1.7 X 10(15) and 0- 1.3 X 10(15)/CM2 , respectively, was used to investigate the effect of implant-induced damage on the electrical properties of Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) films deposited by electron-beam evaporation on SiO2-coated sod a-lime glass substrates. The films were characterized as a function of implant dose using low-temperature Hall effect, resistivity, optical transmissivity, x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscop y (TEM). A systematic decrease in both carrier density (n) and Hall mo bility (mu) was observed with increasing dose of either implant specie s. The electronic results were analyzed using charged and neutral impu rity scattering models which suggest that the observed changes are due to the degradation of electrically active donor centers and the gener ation of the neutral scattering centers. The microstructure of the imp lanted films, as revealed by TEM and x-ray diffraction, is consistent with the presence of significant dynamic recovery during implantation.