Fabrication of transparent conducting ATO films using the ATO sintered targets by pulsed laser deposition

Antimony doped tin oxide (ATO) films with polycrystalline rutile structure and preferred orientation of (101) have been prepared from the ATO nanopowders sintered targets by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. Compared with the ATO targets made from SnO2 and Sb2O3 mixed powders, the ATO targets derived from direct ATO nanopowders are advanced in good homogeneity, precise control of doping ratio and highly densification, which provides an effective way to further improve the physical properties of the ATO films. The microstructure of the obtained ATO films is observed by SEM, and the electrical and optical properties of the ATO films are analyzed. The results suggest that for 10 mol% Sb2O3 doped ATO films deposited at 200 °C, oxygen pressure of 8 Pa for 0.5 h with annealing at 550 °C for 0.5 h, an optimal electrical resistivity of 1.2×10−2 Ω cm with an average optical transparency in the visible region of 85.8% is obtained. Under the optimum processing conditions, the grain size of ATO films is about 20 nm and the Sb/Sn ratio is 20.3%, which are in good agreement with the structure and component of targets, indicating the ATO films with controllable microstructure and element component can be obtained using the ATO nanopowders sintered targets by PLD method.

► ATO films prepared by PLD are in good agreement with ATO targets.
► ATO films prepared by ATO nanopowders made targets exhibit enhanced properties.
► Properties of ATO films are determined by Sb doping and crystallinity.
► ATO films are suitable for transparent conductive electrode in solar cells.