Effects of deposition power on DC magnetron sputtering of indium thin films

Abstract Despite various applications in the fields of optoelectronics, energy-conversion, and infrared detection, documented studies of magnetron sputtering of indium films are scarce when compared to indium-based semiconductors. In this study, indium films were deposited at various voltage/current combinations to investigate the effects of deposition power on resulting film characteristics. Crystallographic, morphological, and electrical characterizations of deposited films were performed using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and four-point probe measurements. Results showed general increases in average crystallite size (31.1–41.0 nm) and decreasing resistivity ( ∼{10}⁻³ –10 ⁻⁴ Ω⋅cm ) as deposition power was increased from ∼70 –110 W. Texture coefficient analysis demonstrated that increasing sputtering power enhanced the preferred (101) crystallite orientation. These results demonstrate a simple approach to fabricating indium thin films via DC magnetron sputtering without external substrate heating or post-deposition annealing.