Indium tin oxide coatings properties as a function of the deposition atmosphere

Indium tin oxide coatings were deposited by magnetron sputtering physical vapour deposition under different atmospheres. Microstructural, electrical, and optical properties were measured, finding a correlation among properties and process parameters. Texture analyses carried out by X-ray diffraction showed that films microstructure depended by the oxygen content in the deposition vessel: high values of the oxygen content (e.g., 5%) caused the film to grow along the <111> orientation; under pure Ar, the grains grew along the <100> orientation. Intermediate values of the oxygen content caused the growth of two families of grains, respectively oriented along the <111> and the <100> directions.

► Correlation between deposition atmosphere and indium tin oxide films properties ► Resistivity and transmittance depended by the O2 content in the deposition vessel. ► At high oxygen content, the films grew along the <111> direction. ► At low oxygen content, the films grew along the <100> direction. ► Intermediate oxygen contents allowed the growth of both the orientations.