Improved quality of zinc oxide thin films by in situ annealing

Zinc oxide thin films with c-axis orientation have been manufactured by an integrated sputtering and annealing method. Thin films annealed in situ demonstrate a resistivity of 1 x 10(8) Ohm cm parallel to the c-axis, refractive index of 1.97, and compressive residual stress of approximately 2 x 10(8) Pa. The method implies that a complete deposition, annealing, and passivation may be done in one vacuum run.