Mechanical and optoelectric properties of post-annealed fluorine-doped tin oxide films by ultraviolet laser irradiation

► The FTO thin films were deposited on the soda-lime glass substrates by the sputtering method. An oxide buffer layer of SiO2 composition was deposited on glass substrate surface to enhance adhesion between the FTO film and substrate. ► The fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films deposited on a soda-lime glass substrate was annealed by a defocus ultraviolet (UV) laser irradiation at ambient temperature. ► After laser irradiations using the various laser processing parameters, the post-annealed FTO films had different mechanical and optoelectric properties. ► The microhardness and reduced modulus of the annealed films were evaluated by a nanoindentation instrument. ► In addition, the transmittance spectra and sheet resistance of the annealed films were analyzed by a spectrophotometer and a four point probe instrument, respectively.