Structural and electrical properties of SnO2 films grown on r-cut sapphire at different substrate temperature by MOCVD

• Highly oriented SnO2 film without twinning was deposited at 700 °C.
• Substrate temperature strongly affected the surface morphology of SnO2 films.
• Electrical properties were studied as a function of substrate temperature.

Tin oxide (SnO2) films have been grown on r-cut sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The substrate temperature dependent structural and electrical properties of SnO2 films were investigated. It was found that the films deposited at lower temperatures were polycrystalline while the highly oriented growth occurred above 600 °C. Especially, high-quality SnO2 film with no (101) twin structure was obtained at 700 °C. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the surface morphology was significantly affected by the substrate temperature. A tile-like surface was observed for the film grown at 700 °C. The change in electrical properties for the SnO2 films was associated with the various structures at different substrate temperatures.