Characterization of transparent and conductive electrodes of indium tin oxide thin films by sequential reactive evaporation

ITO thin films have been deposited onto glass substrates by sequential reactive evaporation as transparent and conductive electrodes for devices. The method has the advantage of low enough temperatures (less than or equal to 200 degrees C) for the processes of preparation and post-annealing, accurate control of single layer thickness, simplicity and low cost. ITO films with electrical resistivity of 10(-2) Omega cm and optical transparency greater than 90% have been obtained. The structural, compositional, electrical, optical properties of the films depend on the annealing time. The stability of the electrical and optical properties of the electrodes has been investigated showing the feasibility of producing high quality ITO films by this method. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.