Enhanced preferential orientation and electrical property of fluorine-doped SnO2 thin films via barrier layer

Polycrystalline fluorine-doped SnO2 thin films with SiCxOy or SixSnyO2 barrier layer are deposited on glass substrates by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) method. The effect of barrier layer on structure and electrical property of FTO films was investigated. Results show that the inserting of barrier layer, especially the SiCxOy layer, has led to the improved crystallinity and the enhanced preferential orientation along the (2 0 0) crystallographic plane. SnO2:F/SiCxOy/Glass films with larger grain size and a columnar growth structure exhibited lower resistivity (~4.9×10−4), higher reflectance in the mid-far-infrared region (~80%) and lower emissivity (0.16), while maintaining high transmittance in the visible range. The SiCxOy film has therefore been considered as a more ideal potential barrier layer for FTO thin film production.