Structural, electrical and optical properties of ITO films with a thin TiO2 seed layer prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on TiO2-coated glass substrates (the TiO2 layer is usually called seed layer). The properties of ITO films prepared at a substrate temperature of 300 °C on bare and TiO2-coated glass substrates have been analyzed by using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, optical and electrical measurements. Comparing with single layer ITO film, the ITO film with a TiO2 seed layer of 2 nm has a remarkable 41.2% decrease in resistivity and similar optical transmittance. The glass/TiO2 (2 nm)/ITO film achieved shows a resistivity of 3.37 × 10−4 Ω cm and an average transmittance of 93.1% in the visible range. The glass/TiO2 may be a better substrate compared with bare glass for depositing high quality ITO films.