Transparent conducting impurity-co-doped ZnO:Al thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering

This report describes the effects of impurity-co-doping on transparent conducting Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films prepared by DC magnetron sputtering using a target composed of dopant powder added to a mixture of ZnO and Al2O3 powder. The chemical stability of transparent conducting AZO films could be improved by co-doping Cr or Co without significantly altering the original electrical and optical properties. A reduction in etching rate, as well as a low resistivity of 3.0×10−4 Ω cm, was obtained in transparent conducting AZO:Cr films prepared using Zn powder added into the oxide target with an Al2O3 content of 2 wt.% and a Cr2O3 content of 1 wt.%. In addition, a reduction in etching rate, as well as low resistivity, was obtained in transparent conducting AZO:Co films prepared with an Al2O3 content of 2 wt.% and a CoO content of 0.5–2 wt.% or a CoCl2 content of 1.5–3 wt.%.