Physical and structural properties of ZnO sputtered films

In this paper, poly-crystal zinc oxide (ZnO) films with c-axis (002) orientation have been successfully grown on the silicon substrate by r.f. magnetron sputtering technique. The deposited films were characterized as a function of deposition temperature, argon-oxygen gas flow ratio, and r.f. power. Crystalline structures, stress and roughness characteristics of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurement. By controlling deposition parameters and annealing temperature, we could improve intrinsic stress and surface roughness of ZnO film. Preferred deposition condition was found to show good film quality for SAW device applications. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved.