Indium Tin Oxide Films Grown at Room Temperature by RF-Magnetron Sputtering in Oxygen-Free Environment

Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) thin films were grown at room temperature (RT) in oxygen-free environment by rf-magnetron sputtering on glass and Si(100)-substrates. The effects of argon pressure, sputtering power and film thickness on the electrical and optical properties of ITO films were investigated. For a 100 nm thick ITO films grown at RT in argon pressure 1.95∙10 -3 mbar and sputtering power of 50 W, the transmittance was near 90% at 500 nm and resistivity was 5.4∙10 -4 Ohm∙cm. It has been shown that the sputtering power plays an important role in electric properties of ITO films. SEM images of these samples show smooth surface with sharp substrate/ITO interface.