Suppressed grain-boundary scattering in atomic layer deposited Nb:TiO2 thin films

We have fabricated high-quality thin films of the transparent conducting anatase Nb:TiO2 on glass substrates through atomic layer deposition, and a subsequent reductive heat treatment of the as-deposited amorphous films. Hall-effect measurements and Drude-fitting of the Vis-NIR spectra indicate that for lightly doped films deposited at temperatures around 170 degrees C, grain boundary scattering becomes negligible and the mobility is predominately limited by phonon-electron scattering inherent to the anatase lattice and by impurities. Simultaneously, such lighter doping leads to reduced plasma absorption, thereby improving material's performance as a transparent conductor. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.