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Improved structural and electrical properties of thin ZnO:Al films by dc filtered cathodic arc deposition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2011

Yuankun Zhu ,
Rueben J. Mendelsberg ,
Sunnie H.N. Lim ,
Jiaqi Zhu ,
Jiecai Han  and
André Anders
Yuankun Zhu*
Affiliation:
Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, People’s Republic of China; and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Plasma Applications Group, Berkeley, California 94720
Rueben J. Mendelsberg
Affiliation:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Plasma Applications Group, Berkeley, California 94720; and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Molecular Foundry, Berkeley, California 94720
Sunnie H.N. Lim
Affiliation:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Plasma Applications Group, Berkeley, California 94720
Jiaqi Zhu
Affiliation:
Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, People’s Republic of China
Jiecai Han
Affiliation:
Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, People’s Republic of China
André Anders
Affiliation:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Plasma Applications Group, Berkeley, California 94720
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: yuan.kun.zhu@gmail.com
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Abstract

Transparent conducting oxide films are usually several 100-nm thick to achieve the required low sheet resistance. In this study, we show that the filtered cathodic arc technique produces high-quality low-cost ZnO:Al material for comparably smaller thicknesses than achieved by magnetron sputtering, making arc deposition a promising choice for applications requiring films less than 100-nm thick. A mean surface roughness less than 1 nm is observed for ZnO:Al films less than 100-nm thick, and 35-nm-thick ZnO:Al films exhibit Hall mobility of 28 cm2/Vs and a low resistivity of 6.5 × 10−4 Ωcm. Resistivity as low as 5.2 × 10−4 Ωcm and mobility as high as 43.5 cm2/Vs are obtained for 135-nm films.

Keywords

Physical vapor depositionPlasma depositionTransparent conductor
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 27 , Issue 5: Focus Issue: Plasma and Ion-Beam Assisted Materials Processing , 14 March 2012 , pp. 857 - 862
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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References

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