Characteristics of zirconium-doped indium tin oxide thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering

ITO:Zr thin films were deposited on glass substrates by co-sputtering with an ITO target and a zirconium target. The experiment parameters such as substrate temperature and oxygen flow rate have an important influence on the properties of ITO:Zr thin films. XRD spectra and AFM reveal the crystalline structure and surface roughness of ITO:Zr thin films. Better optical–electrical characteristics of the films can be achieved at low substrate temperatures, and the increasing substrate temperature remarkably improves the optical–electrical characteristics of the films. Certain oxygen flow rates can enhance the properties of ITO:Zr thin films, but excessive oxygen can worsen the optical–electrical characteristics. The obvious Burstin–Moss effect can be revealed by the transmittance spectra with different parameters, and the direct transition models show the change of optical band gap. As the optimum parameters are selected, ITO:Zr thin films with sheet resistance of 10–20 Ω/sq and optical transmittance of beyond 85% (including glass substrates) can be obtained.