Al-doped ZnO thin films deposited by reactive frequency magnetron sputtering: H2-induced property changes

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) transparent conductive thin films have been prepared by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering with a ceramic target (98 wt.% ZnO, 2 wt.% Al2O3) in different Ar + H2 ambient at a substrate temperature of 200 °C. To investigate the influence of H2-flow on the properties of AZO films, H2-flow was changed during the growth process with a fixed Ar-flow of 60 sccm. The results indicate that H2-flow has a considerable influence on the transparent conductive properties of AZO films. The low resistivity in the order of 10− 4 Ω cm and the high average transmittance more than 92% in the visible range were obtained for the samples prepared in the optimal H2-flow range from 0.4 sccm to 1.0 sccm. In addition, the influence of H2-flow on the structure and composition of AZO films have also been studied.