Low resistivity transparent conducting Al-doped ZnO films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

A series of AZO films were grown on glass substrates by a method of pulsed laser deposition using a split target divided into AZO (Al2O3: 1 wt.%) and AZO (Al2O3: 2 wt.%). The film deposition took place at a substrate temperature of 230 °C within a magnetic field applied perpendicularly to the plume. To suppress the droplet generation caused by the intense laser energy, the laser energy density was reduced to 0.75 J/cm2 (15 mJ). For an approximately 280-nm thick-AZO film grown at a target-to-substrate distance of 25 mm, we obtained the lowest resistivity of 8.54×10−5 Ω·cm and an average transmittance of more than 88% in the visible range. In the cross-sectional TEM observation and XRD spectra, the regularity in the crystal growth was generated immediately from the interface between the substrate and the film.