Effect of sublayer surface treatments on ZnO transparent conductive oxides using dc magnetron sputtering

Abstract Novel sublayer surface treatments were investigated to improve the conductivity of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) fabricated by using dc magnetron sputtering on a glass substrate. Introducing artificial minute flaws on the surface of glass substrates enhanced the crystallinity of ZnO:Al films and decreased the resistivity accompanying the increase of electron mobility. Combination of the surface treatment and sputter beam control, i. e ., interruption of high-energy oxygen with shadow masks, further reduced the resistivity of the film to 3.7 × 10 − 4 Ω cm (thickness 70 nm).