Structural properties of indium tin oxide thin films prepared for application in solar cells

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films prepared by rf sputtering were annealed in several temperatures. The electrical, optical and structural properties of these films are systematically investigated. The post annealing of the samples lead to considerably higher electrical conductivity, better optical transparency and larger grain size for the films. In an optimum annealing temperature of 400 °C, we have found that a maximized conductivity of films is achieved without a remarkable loss in their transparency. The sheet resistance of 2.3 Ω/□ and average grain size of 30 nm, are the results of the optimized post processing of films. The investigation for microstructure of films investigated by X-ray diffraction measurement (XRD) shows that a preferential crystal growth toward the (2 2 2) orientation takes place when the annealing temperature increases to 400 °C.