Preparation of transparent conductive TiO2:Nb thin films by pulsed laser deposition

This study investigated the optical and electrical properties of Nb-doped TiO2 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The PLD conditions were optimized to fabricate Nb-doped TiO2 thin films with an improved electrical conductivity and crystalline structure. XRD analyses revealed that the deposition at room temperature in 0.92 Pa O2 was suitable to produce anatase-type TiO2. A Nb-doped TiO2 thin film attained a resistivity as low as 6.7 × 10−4 Ω cm after annealing at 350 °C in vacuum (<10−5 Pa), thereby maintaining the transmittance as high as 60% in the UV-vis region.