The FTIR studies of SnO2:Sb(ATO) films deposited by spray pyrolysis

Thin films of SnO2:Sb were prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. The role of antimony in the SnO2 is demonstrated by FTIR. It is found that at low Sb concentrations, the Sb ions prefer to substitute Sn4+ in form of Sb5+. While beyond a certain Sb concentration, Sb ions start to be reduced to Sb3+, which have a negative effect on carrier concentration that, in turn, affects the reflectivity of SnO2:Sb films. The increased disorder of SnO2 at high Sb concentration is also shown by FTIR. The discussion of carrier scattering suggests that the ionized impurity and/or neutral impurity scattering are the dominant scattering mechanisms. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.