Radio frequency-H2O plasma treatment on indium tin oxide films produced by electron beam and radio frequency magnetron sputtering methods

•RF-H2O plasma post-treatment caused extra free electrons and excited energy levels.•Conductivity and carrier density of ITO improved after the post-treatment.•Transparency of e-beam deposited ITO was not affected by the post-treatment.•Transparency of ITO by magnetron sputtering increased after the post-treatment.

Electron beam and radio frequency (RF: 13.56 MHz) magnetron sputtering methods were used to obtain a highly transparent and conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) films. The coated thin films were treated by RF-H2O plasma in order to improve optical and electrical properties. RF-H2O plasma characteristics were investigated by optical emission spectroscopy during surface treatments. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results on O 1s core levels indicated the activated oxygen species in both amorphous and crystalline ITO structures. The structural, electrical and optical properties of ITO film were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and four-probe techniques. After the RF-H2O plasma treatment, the ITO films exhibited lower resistivity and better transparency due to the formation of radical species.