Studies on the properties of sputter-deposited Sc-doped ZnO thin film

Structural, optical and electrical properties of Sc-doped ZnO films grown by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature were investigated. The deposition pressure was varied from 0.3 to 2.0 Pa. XRD spectra indicated that the (1 0 0) peak of the film decreased as the deposition pressure decreased and the (1 1 0) peak showed the highest intensity at the pressure of 0.3 Pa. Compared with (1 0 0) and (1 1 0) peaks, the intensity of (0 0 2) peak was relatively weak. The morphology of the films is related to the deposition pressure. The stress in the film was investigated. The film with resistivity as low as 7.7×10−2 Ω cm has been obtained at 0.8 Pa. The average transmittance of these films was about 90% in the wavelength range 400–800 nm, but decreased in the short wavelength region due to light scattering.