Improvement of optical and electrical properties of ITO thin films by electro-annealing

The effect of electro-annealing in vacuum and air on the optical and electrical properties of ITO thin films grown by large area DC magnetron sputtering was investigated. Moreover, the performances of the electro-annealed ITO thin films in vacuum and air were compared. Electro-annealing was performed by applying 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 and 1.50 A constant ac current to the ITO thin films. It was observed that the crystallinity of the films was better for the ITO thin films electro-annealed in vacuum. The changes in sheet resistance of electro-annealed ITO thin films with applied currents were detailed. The transmittance of the films increased for both electro-annealing in vacuum and air. A correlation between band-gap and resistivity for all of the electro-annealed thin films was observed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.