Surface reactivity and oxygen migration in amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide films annealed in humid atmosphere

An isotope tracer study, i.e., 18O/16O exchange using 18O2 and H218O, was performed to determine how post-deposition annealing (PDA) affected surface reactivity and oxygen diffusivity of amorphous indium–gallium–zinc oxide (a-IGZO) films. The oxygen tracer diffusivity was very high in the bulk even at low temperatures, e.g., 200 °C, regardless of PDA and exchange conditions. In contrast, the isotope exchange rate, dominated by surface reactivity, was much lower for 18O2 than for H218O. PDA in a humid atmosphere at 400 °C further suppressed the reactivity of O2 at the a-IGZO film surface, which is attributable to –OH-terminated surface formation.