Spectroscopic ellipsometry modeling of ZnO thin films with various O2 partial pressures

ZnO films were deposited on thermally oxidized SiO2/p-type Si (100) substrates and glass substrates by DC magnetron sputtering using a metal Zn target. Three types of samples were prepared with various O2/(Ar + O2) ratios (O2 partial pressure) of 20%, 50%, and 80%. The properties of these ZnO thin films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical transmittance, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and spectroscopic ellipsometry in the spectral region of 1.7–3.1 eV. The structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films were affected by O2 partial pressure. Relationships between crystallinity, the ZnO surface roughness layer, and the refractive index (n) were investigated with varying O2 partial pressure. It was shown that the spectroscopic ellipsometry extracted parameters well represented the ZnO thin film characteristics for different O2 partial pressures.

► Investigation of structural and optical properties for ZnO thin films.
► Variations of O2 partial pressures.
► Spectroscopic ellipsometry modeling of ZnO thin films.