Characterization of ZnO: Al films deposited by r.f. magnetron-sputtering at low temperature

Transparent conducting ZnO: Al thin films with good adhesion and low resistivity have been prepared on organic substrates and Corning 7059 glass substrates by r.f. magnetron-sputtering technique at low substrate temperature (25–210°C). Structural and photoelectric properties of the deposited films are investigated. The deposited films are polycrystalline with hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. Only the (002) peak is observed. High quality films with resistivity as low as 1.0 x 10 -3 Ω·cm and 8.4 x 10 -4 Ω·cm, the average transmittance over 74% and 85% in the wavelength range of the visible spectrum have been obtained on different substrates.