A study of transparent conductive indium antimony oxide films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

Indium antimony oxide films were deposited onto SiO2-coated Si wafers (SiO2/Si) or fused silica glass substrates at 400°C by RF magnetron sputtering. The sputtering depositions were carried out with a mixture of Ar and O2 gases using a sintered ceramic disk of In0.2xSb0.3xOx as the target, the composition of which was optimized for the deposition of stoichiometric InSbO4 films with high crystallinity. The transmittance of the InSbO4 films was greater than 80% in visible light. The InSbO4 films were found to have high durability in terms of their electrical properties at annealing temperatures between 400°C and 1100°C, whereas their resistivity increased considerably at annealing temperatures above 1200°C due to the separation of a new Sb2O4 phase.