Transparent conducting Sb-doped SnO2 thin films grown by pulsed-laser deposition

Antimony-doped tin oxide (SnO2:Sb) thin films (100–480 nm thick) have been deposited by pulsed-laser deposition on glass substrates without a postdeposition anneal. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of these films have been investigated as a function of doping amount, substrate temperature, and oxygen partial pressure during deposition. Films were deposited at temperatures ranging from 25 to 600 °C in O2 partial pressures ranging from 10 to 100 mTorr. The films (300 nm thick) deposited at 300 °C in 45 mTorr of oxygen show electrical resistivities as low as 9.8×10−4 Ω cm, an average visible transmittance of 90%, a refractive index of 1.98 (at 550 nm), and an optical band gap of 4.21 eV.