Preparation of ITO films using a spray pyrolysis solution containing an acetylacetone chelating agent

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates by the spray pyrolysis method using a spray solution of InCl3·3H2O as a precursor, SnCl4·5H2O as a dopant and acetylacetone (AcAcH) as a chelating agent. The effect of the addition of AcAcH to the spray solution on the surface morphology of the ITO film was investigated. The surface quality of the film prepared from the spray solution with AcAcH was better than that without AcAcH. The ITO film with the thickness of 230 nm, using the spray solution with AcAcH, exhibited the lowest resistivity of 4.75 × 10−4 Ω·cm and higher optical transmittance of 85 %, respectively.