New developments in gallium doped zinc oxide deposited on polymeric substrates by RF magnetron sputtering

Gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) thin films have been deposited onto polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrates by r.f. magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The influence of the film thickness (from 70 to 890 nm) on the electrical, structural and morphological properties are presented. The lowest resistivity obtained was 5 x 10(-4) Omega cm with a Hall mobility of 13.7 cm(2)/Vs and a carrier concentration of 8.6 x 10(20) cm(-3). These values were obtained by passivating the surface of the polymer with a thin silicon dioxide, so preventing the moisture and oxygen permeation inside the film. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.