Investigation of the Effect of the Short-Term Exposure of Oxygen and Hydrogen Plasma on the Composition and Structure of Thin Tin Dioxide Films

Modern technologies cannot function without the production of thin films of tin dioxide, which are most widely used mainly in three areas: as transparent electrodes, catalysts, and solid-state sensors of various gases. Their use as transparent electrodes is related to the high transmittance of tin dioxide layers in the optical range, as well as with their low electrical resistivity. The effect of short-term exposure to plasma on the composition and structure of thin films of tin dioxide obtained from a solution of pentahydrate tin tetrachloride in 97% ethanol with different concentrations of tin ions is considered. The linear character of the dependence of the thickness of the tin dioxide SnO2 films on the concentration of the solution and the number of layers applied is revealed. A decrease in the electrical resistance of the films is found with an increase in the concentration of the initial solution and an increase in the number of layers. It is shown that processing SnO2 films of hydrogen plasma makes it possible to reduce their electrical resistance without decreasing transparency. The oxygen plasma treatment reduces the transparency of SnO2 films, and the resistance of the films increases with an increase in the duration of such treatment.