Low-stress indium-tin-oxide thin films rf magnetron sputtered on polyester substrates

Using rf magnetron sputtering, we have grown low resistivity (similar to3x10(-4) Omega cm), high transparency (>80%) indium-tin-oxide thin films with near zero stress on polyester substrates, near room temperature. We concluded from analysis of sputtered ions and atoms that bombardment by energetic (>70 eV) negative oxygen ions caused high stress (similar to1 GPa) in films grown at lower (6 mTorr) pressure. Sputtering at 12 mTorr dissipated energetic bombardment and reduced film stress to about zero, independent of oxygen partial pressure (pO(2)). However, increasing pO(2) did affect film microstructure, that is, crystallinity, roughness, and grain size. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.