Influence of post-deposition annealing on the properties of transparent conductive nanocrystalline ZAO thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering with highly conductive ceramic target

Using a highly conductive ZnO (ZnAl2O4) ceramic target, c axis-oriented and oxygen-deficient Al-doped ZnO (ZAO) thin films were prepared on glass sheet substrates by radio frequency (RF) planar magnetron sputtering. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the films (deposited at room temperature and annealed at different conditions) were characterized with various techniques. The experimental results show that the electrical resistivity of as-grown films can be decreased to 10−4 Ω cm level with post-deposition annealing at 400 °C for 2 h in a vacuum pressure of 10−5 torr. By increasing the annealing temperature, the oxygen vacancies and carrier concentration of ZAO thin film increase, and the absorption edge in the transmission spectra shifts toward the shorter wavelength side (blue shift). The oxygen vacancy plays an important role in the electrical conductivity. The more the oxygen vacancies exist in ZAO thin films, the higher the electrical conductivity will be.