Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T09:06:29.341Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Thermal Degradation Behavior of Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films Deposited by Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2005

Yong-Nam Kim*
Affiliation:
Material Testing Team, Korea Testing Laboratory, Guro-gu, Seoul 152-848, Republic of Korea
Hyun-Gyoo Shin
Affiliation:
Material Testing Team, Korea Testing Laboratory, Guro-gu, Seoul 152-848, Republic of Korea
Jun-Kwang Song
Affiliation:
Material Testing Team, Korea Testing Laboratory, Guro-gu, Seoul 152-848, Republic of Korea
Dae-Hyoung Cho
Affiliation:
Material Testing Team, Korea Testing Laboratory, Guro-gu, Seoul 152-848, Republic of Korea
Hee-Soo Lee
Affiliation:
Material Testing Team, Korea Testing Laboratory, Guro-gu, Seoul 152-848, Republic of Korea
Yeon-Gil Jung
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Changwon National University, Changwon, Kyungnam 641-773, Republic of Korea
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The thermal degradation behavior of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films coated on glass substrates using radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering was investigated over the temperature range of 100–400 °C in air. The resistivity of ITO films increases abruptly after the thermal degradation temperature of 250 °C is reached, with a slight increase from 200 to 250 °C. The x-ray photoelectron spectrometry intensity ratio of O/(In + Sn) in thermally degraded ITO films is higher than that in normal films. The carrier concentration gradually decreases up to 200 °C, sharply drops between 200 and 250 °C with increasing temperature, and then saturates from 275 °C. The Hall mobility drops suddenly at 275 °C. The diffusion of oxygen into oxygen interstitials and oxygen vacancies and the chemisorption of oxygen into grain boundaries decrease the carrier concentration and the Hall mobility, respectively. The former mainly affects the resistivity of ITO films below 250 °C, and the later above 250 °C.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1Ohsaki, H. and Kokubu, Y.: Global market and technology trends on coated glass for architectural, automotive and display applications. Thin Solid Films 351, 1 (1999).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2Chopra, K.L., Major, S. and Pandya, D.K.: Transparent conductors— A status review. Thin Solid Films 102, 1 (1983).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3He, J., Lu, M., Zhou, X., Cao, J.R., Wang, K.L., Liao, L.S., Deng, Z.B., Ding, X.M., Hou, X.Y. and Lee, S.T.: Damage study of ITO under high electric field. Thin Solid Films 363, 240 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Scott, J.C., Kaufman, J.H., Brock, P.J., DiPietro, R., Salem, J. and Goitia, J.A.: Degradation and failure of MEH-PPV light-emitting diodes. J. Appl. Phys. 79, 2745 (1996).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Chao, C.I., Chuang, K.R. and Chen, S.A.: Failure phenomena and mechanisms of polymeric light-emitting diodes: Indium–tin– oxide damage. Appl. Phys. Lett. 69, 2894 (1996).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6Adachi, C., Nagai, K. and Tamoto, N.: Molecular design of hole transport materials for obtaining high durability in organic electroluminescent diodes. Appl. Phys. Lett. 66, 2679 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Shigesato, Y. and Paine, D.C.: A microstructural study of low resistivity tin-doped indium oxide prepared by d.c. magnetron sputtering. Thin Solid Films 238, 44 (1994).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8Tomonaga, H. and Morimoto, T.: Indium-tin oxide coatings via chemical solution deposition. Thin Solid Films 392, 243 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Goodnick, S.M., Wager, J.F. and Wilmsen, C.W.: Thermal degradation of indium-tin-oxide/p-silicon solar cells. J. Appl. Phys. 51, 527 (1980).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Frank, G. and Köstlin, H.: Electrical properties and defect model of tin-doped indium oxide layers. Appl. Phys. A 27, 197 (1982).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11González, G.B., Mason, T.O., Quintana, J.P., Warschkow, O., Ellis, D.E., Hwang, J.H., Hodges, J.P. and Jorgensen, J.D.: Defect structure studies of bulk and nano-indium-tin oxide. J. Appl. Phys. 96, 3912 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Mizuhashi, M.: Lamellar and grain boundary models for the electrical properties of post-oxidized ITO films. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 22, 615 (1983).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Minami, T.: New n-type transparent conducting oxides. MRS Bull. 25, 38 (2000).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Gupta, A., Gupta, P. and Srivastava, V.K.: Annealing effects in indium oxide films prepared by reactive evaporation. Thin Solid Films 123, 325 (1985).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Agnihotri, O.P., Sharma, A.K., Gupta, B.K. and Thangaraj, R.: The effect of tin additions on indium oxide selective coatings. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 11, 643 (1978).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Bhattacharyya, J., Chaudhuri, S., De, D. and Pal, A.K.: Preparation and characterization of indium tin oxide films produced by the d.c. sputtering technique. Thin Solid Films 128, 231 (1985).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Adachi, K., Hirayama, T. and Sakata, H.: The effect of gas atmospheres on resistivity of indium tin oxide films at high temperature. J. Mater. Sci. 25, 1403 (1990).CrossRefGoogle Scholar