Perovskite-type transparent and conductive oxide films: Sb- and Nd-doped SrSnO3

Perovskite-type transparent and conductive Sb- and Nd-doped SrSnO3 thin films were epitaxially grown on SrTiO3(001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. It was found that these films exhibited high optical transmittance above 90% in the visible region, and behaved as n-type semiconductors with good conductivity. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of these films were systematically investigated as functions of doping contents and deposition temperatures. The optimal doping content and growth conditions were also revealed. The Sb-doped SrSnO3 films showed a cubic perovskite structure with the lattice constant of about 4.034 angstrom and direct allowed band gap of 4.53 eV. Minimum resistivity of 21 m Omega cm was observed at room temperature in the 5% Nd-doped SrSnO3 films and it was affected by the growth temperature. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.