Effect of rf power on the properties of ITO thin films deposited by plasma enhanced reactive thermal evaporation on unheated polymer substrates

Abstract The influence of the radiofrequency (rf) deposition power on the properties of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films deposited onto unheated polymer substrates is studied. The deposition technique used is the radiofrequency plasma enhanced reactive thermal evaporation (rf-PERTE). Results show that (1) the total transmittance at 500 nm is always around 80% and (2) that the electrical resistivity is 10−3 Ω cm for ITO films deposited in the rf power range 45–50 W. X-ray diffraction analysis showed the presence of a crystalline phase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the surface morphology of the ITO films does not vary significantly with rf power.