Pulsed laser deposited Nb doped TiO2 as a transparent conducting oxide

Abstract Nb doped TiO 2 (Nb:TiO 2 ) is a promising indium-free transparent conducting oxide. We have examined the growth of Nb:TiO 2 thin films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on SrTiO 3 , LaAlO 3 , and fused silica. For oriented anatase Nb:TiO 2 films grown on SrTiO 3 by PLD at 550 °C, the conductivity can be as high as 2500 S/cm. A nearly thickness independent conductivity for Nb:TiO 2 demonstrates that the conductivity is a bulk property and not a substrate interface effect. In addition, Nb:TiO 2 films deposited at room temperature were annealed at temperatures up to 750 °C in either vacuum or 1.3 × 10 − 3 Pa O 2 . For these films, conductivities as high as 3300 S/cm on SrTiO 3 and 85 S/cm on LaAlO 3 substrates were obtained for the highest temperature vacuum anneals, albeit with some loss in transparency.