TRANSPARENT CONDUCTING ZNO FILMS DEPOSITED BY ION-BEAM-ASSISTED REACTIVE DEPOSITION

Highly transparent conducting ZnO films have been deposited using ion-beam-assisted reactive vacuum deposition. The zinc deposition rate was controlled by adding gallium to the zinc in an open Al2O3 crucible source. Oxygen was introduced into the system via a separate controlled leak and reacted with the zinc on the substrate. Mechanically stable polycrystalline conducting ZnO films having a preferred orientation were deposited with resistivities in the range from 4.0 x 10(-6) to 9.0 x 10(-6) OMEGA-m, with carrier densities of more than 2 x 10(26) m-3 and Hall mobilities between 2.8 X 10(-3) and 4.0 x 10(-3) m2 V-1 s-1. The average transmission exceeded 90% for films 350 nm thick in the wavelength range of the visible spectrum.