Study on Al-Doped ZnO Films Prepared by Magnetron Sputtering with Rapid Thermal Annealing Process

Transparent and conductive Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films were prepared by nonreactive DC magnetron sputtering with rapid thermal annealing process. The effects of sputtering power and annealing temperature on growth behavior, electrical rand optical properties of AZO films were investigated. The experimental results show that the sputtering power and annealing temperature had great influence on the electrical resistivity of AZO films due to the change of (002) orientation and grain size. The lowest electrical resistivity of AZO films was 5.3×10-4Ω•cm when the sputtering power was 100W and the annealing temperature was 200°C or above. The sputtering power and annealing temperature had little effect on optical transmittance, which was between 86% and 90%, but the absorption edge had a blue shift with the increase of sputtering power and annealing temperature.