Influence of Ar/O2 ratio on the properties of transparent conductive ZnO:Ga films prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering

Abstract Ga-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Ga) transparent conductive films with highly (002)-preferred orientation were deposited on glass substrates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering method in Ar + O2 ambience with different Ar/O2 ratios. The structural, electrical, and optical properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Hall measurement, and optical transmission spectroscopy. The resistivity and optical transmittance of the ZnO:Ga thin films are of the order of 10− 4 Ω cm and over 85%, respectively. The lowest electrical resistivity of the film is found to be about 3.58 × 10− 4 Ω cm. The influences of Ar/O2 gas ratios on the resistivity, Hall mobility, and carrier concentration were analyzed.