Development and characterization of transparent and conductive InZnO films by magnetron sputtering at room temperature

• Deposition of InZnO by magnetron co-sputtering of pure indium and ZnO targets.
• InZnO deposited at room temperature and no post anneal.
• InZnO oxygen optimization for high conductivity and transmission.
• Ellipsometry and Tauc–Lorentz model of InZnO.

The electrical and optical properties of InZnO for use as a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) is reported through the investigation of the concentration of indium and oxygen in the film. InZnO films (10–30 wt.% In) were deposited by magnetron sputtering without substrate heating or annealing from a ceramic ZnO and a metallic indium target. The film’s properties were investigated by X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy (XPS), 4-point probe, UV–vis spectroscopy (UV–vis), spectroscopic ellipsometry, and Hall measurements. InZnO films obtained properties with low resistivity, on the order of ∼5.5 × 10−4 ohm-cm, with a mobility ∼35 cm2/V S, and carrier concentrations ∼3 ∗ 1020 cm−3. The band-gap ranged from 2.7 to 3.2 eV with transmission of several samples >80%. InZnO has demonstrated properties adequate for photovoltaic applications.