Electrical properties of tin-doped indium oxide thin films prepared by a dip coating

Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) transparent conducting films were prepared by a dip coating process and heated in air at 1000 degrees C, which is much higher than the temperature applied in a normal dip coating process, where heating occurs at approximately 500 degrees C. This was done in order to enhance grain growth. Heat-resistant substrates silicon, sapphire and YSZ were used. Grain growth (average size = 52 nm), high carrier electron mobility (average value = 46 m(2) V-1 s(-1)) and low resistivity (average value = 3.7 x 10(-4) Omega cm) were all achieved successfully after post-deposition annealing at 600 degrees C in a N2-0.1%H2 atmosphere, for all of the films except the one deposited on a silicon substrate, whose respective values were 28 nm, 19 m(2) V-1 s(-1) and 1.0 x 10(-3) Omega cm. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.