Dependence of the photoreduction and oxidation behavior of indium oxide films on substrate temperature and film thickness

Indium oxide (InOx) films with a thickness of 10-1100 nm were deposited ont o Corning 7059 glass and silica substrates at various substrate temperature s. An unusual decrease of the lateral grain size with increasing substrate temperature during deposition was found. The changes in the conductivity of the films after exposure to ultraviolet light in vacuum and subsequent oxi dation in ozone atmosphere were analyzed and related to their structural an d morphological properties. It is suggested that the photoreduction and oxi dation treatments affect only a thin layer less than 10 nm at the surface o f the film, while the minimum bulk conductivity is mainly determined by the structural and morphological properties. (C) 2001 American Institute of Ph ysics.