Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin films are extensively used in
display industry and they can be utilized for flexible displays. The polymer
and the plastic materials used as flexible substrates are more bendable and
lighter weight compared to glass substrates. However, its mechanical and
surface properties differed from glass substrates result in different
quality of TCO layers deposited on it. In this study, Polyethylene
Terephthalate (PET) and glass were used as substrates. Indium Tin Oxide
(ITO), Zinc Oxide (ZnO), Mg-doped ZnO (MZO), Al-doped ZnO (AZO), Ga-doped
ZnO (GZO), Al-doped MZO (AMZO), Ga-doped MZO (GMZO) were used as TCO
materials deposited by RF sputtering. Rutherford Backscatter Spectroscopy
(RBS) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) were used to analyze the chemical
composition and crystal structure of TCO thin films. Light transmittance and
surface resistivity were measured after the different deposited conditions.
, Mg-, Al-, Ga- doped ZnO indeed modified the optical properties of ZnO and
better than ITO. However, the electrical conductivity was not improved
obviously compared to ITO when they deposited on PET substrate at room
temperature.