The effect of high acceptor dopant concentration of Zn2+ on electrical, optical and structural properties of the In2O3 transparent conducting thin films

In this paper, deposition and electrical, optical and structural characterizations of the In2O3:Zn transparent conducting thin films are investigated. At first, undoped and non-stoichiometric n-In2O3 thin films are deposited using an alcoholic solution by spray pyrolysis technique. Then, in order to prepare Zn-doped In2O3 thin films, certain amounts of zinc chloride are added to the initial solution. Finally, the effects of Zn doping on electrical, optical and structural properties of In2O3 films are studied. The results of XRD analysis, Hall effect experiment and resistivity measurement of films indicate that no phase change in In2O3 lattice occurs in high acceptor doping condition, and for a given acceptor dopant (Zn2+) concentration (similar to6wt% in solution), electrical conductivity increases sharply and p-conductivity dominates.