Effect of annealing treatment on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO thin films

Highly conductive and transparent Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films were prepared from a zinc target containing Al (1.5 wt.%) by direct current (DC) and radio frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of AZO films as-deposited and submitted to annealing treatment (at 300 and 400°C, respectively) were characterized using various techniques. The experimental results show that the properties of AZO thin films can be further improved by annealing treatment. The crystallinity of ZnO films improves after annealing treatment. The transmittances of the AZO thin films prepared by DC and RF reactive magnetron sputtering are up to 80% and 85% in the visible region, respectively. The electrical resistivity of AZO thin films prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering can be as low as 8.06 × 10−4 Ω·cm after annealing treatment. It was also found that AZO thin films prepared by RF reactive magnetron sputtering have better structural and optical properties than that prepared by DC reactive magnetron sputtering.