Effect of growth temperature on the properties of hydrogenated Al-doped ZnO films

Abstract

This study examined the effect of deposition temperature on the electrical and the optical properties of thin-film hydrogenated zinc oxide doped with aluminum (AZO:H) fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a ceramic target (98 wt.% ZnO, 2 wt.% Al2O3). Various AZO:H films were prepared on glass over a substrate temperature range from room temperature to 250 degrees C. The intentional incorporation of hydrogen was shown to play an important role in the electrical properties of the AZO:H films by increasing the free carrier concentration. The addition of 2 % (H)2 in Ar at a growth temperature of 150 degrees C produced an AZO:H film with excellent electrical properties and a resistivity of 3.21 x 10(-4) Omega.cm. The UV-measurements showed that the optical transmission of the AZO:H films was above 86 % in the visible range with a wide optical band gap.