Indium Tin Oxide Micro- and Nanostructures Grown by Thermal Treatment of InN/SnO2

Mixtures of InN and SnO 2 powders, with a weight ratio of 10:1, have been used as precursors for the thermal growth of arrow-shaped and other elongated micro- and nanostructures of indium−tin oxide (ITO) containing about 2.6 atom % of Sn. The temperatures used in the process, in the range 650−750 °C, favor the decomposition of InN and oxidation of In, with a limited incorporation of Sn in the resulting compound. Arrow-shaped indium−tin oxide structures are obtained and formation of stannates during the process is avoided. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates that tin incorporates into the In 2 O 3 lattice mainly as Sn 4+ . Luminescence of the ITO microstructures has been studied by cathodoluminescence in the scanning electron microscope.