Characterization of Inert Gas RF Plasma-Treated Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films Deposited Via Pulsed DC Magnetron Sputtering

by Reed, Amber Nicole

In this work, the effects of a post-deposition RF plasma treatment on indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films prepared with pulsed DC magnetron sputtering in argon were investigated. The parameters of the post-deposition were studied to determine what RF power and gas pressure resulted in the greatest reduction in resistivity in the films while producing the smallest increase in substrate temperature for treatments with both argon and oxygen plasmas. The as-deposited (untreated) films and the treated films were characterized using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction to determine the effects of the post-deposition treatment on the degree of film crystallization. XPS was used to analyze the chemical composition of the films' surface. SEM images were taken to observe surface features of the films. The resistivity of the films reached 1.66 * 10-5 ? m as-deposited and 6.74*10-6 ? m after treatment.