Physico-chemical properties of perovskite ZnSnO3 thin films deposited on glass and silicon wafers by RF magnetron sputtering

The radiofrequency magnetron sputtering method has been used in this work to deposit ZnSnO3 thin films using powder targets (ZnO: 35 wt %; SnO2: 65 wt %) on amorphous glass and p-Silicon substrates. During the experiment, the substrate temperatures (T-s) were maintained at room temperature, 100 degrees C, 200 degrees C, 300 degrees C, and 400 degrees C with the aim to study the influence on the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the deposited materials. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and Hall Effect were used for the characterization of the ZnSnO3 thin films. A better crystallinity of films with an average transmittance higher than 80% in the visible region and the lowest resistivity of 1.38 x 10(-3) ohm cm were obtained for the films deposited at T-s = 400 degrees C. AFM and SEM studies of the ZnSnO3 films indicate the surfaces are quite smooth, and the morphology improves with increasing the substrate temperature. These properties enable the ZnSnO3 to be an appropriate material for applications that integrate electrically conducting, optically transparent thin films.

Automated summary

In this study, the radiofrequency magnetron sputtering method was used to deposit ZnSnO3 thin films with good crystallinity and optical transparency by controlling the substrate temperature. Characterization studies revealed that the deposition temperature significantly influenced the structure, morphology, and electrical properties of the films.