Optical and structural properties of SnO2 films grown by a low-cost CVD technique

Highly conducting and transparent SnO2 thin films have been grown by a simple and low-cost CVD technique. The films grown on quartz and glass slides have both good conductivity and high transparency. Undoped SnO2 films about 2500 A thick have a sheet resistance below 100 Omega/square and transmission between 94% and 99.9% in most of the visible spectrum. Thicker film (around 500 nm to 1 mum) have a sheet resistance as low as 10 Omega/square with a transmission coefficient of 70% in the visible spectrum. XRD studies show that as the growth temperature is increased from 300 toward 400 degreesC, the diffraction peaks become sharper, indicating an improved crystallinity. Films grown at 400 degreesC have the best crystallinity with a very sharp and highly intense major peak. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiles show that the films have a uniform composition along the depth. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.