Effect of hydrogen partial pressure on optoelectronic properties of indiumtin oxide thin films deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering method

In this study, indium tin oxide (ITO) films were made from an oxidized targ et with In2O3 and SnO2 in a weight proportion of 9:1 using the radio freque ncy magnetron sputtering method. Hydrogen was added to the gas mixture duri ng the preparation of the ITO films. In order to study the effect of hydrog en partial pressure on the structural and optoelectronic properties of the ITO films, we have varied the hydrogen partial pressure in the gas mixture over the range 0-1.6x10(-5) Torr and kept the substrate temperature constan t at 300 degrees C during film growth. The x-ray diffraction patterns of IT O films prepared at different hydrogen partial pressures show that the film s have (111) and (100) preferred orientations. Hall effect measurements rev eal that the addition of hydrogen in the sputtering gas mixture shows an in crease in the number of charged carriers in the ITO films. However the carr ier mobility did not increase considerably. At optimal conditions, ITO film s with resistivity of 2.7x10(-4) Omega cm and transparency of over 89% in t he visible wavelength region were achieved. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(99)07514-3].