Influence of O2/Ar ratio on the properties of transparent conductive niobium-doped ZnO films

Niobium-doped ZnO transparent conductive films are deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency sputtering at 300°C. The influence of O₂/Ar ratio on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the as-deposited films is investigated by X-ray diffraction, Hall measurement and optical transmission spectroscopy. The lowest resistivity of 4.0×10⁻⁴ Ω·cm is obtained from the film deposited at the O₂/Ar ratio of 1/12. The average optical transmittance of the films is over 90%. Supported by the High-Tech Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2007AA06Z112, 2007AA03Z446), Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (Grant No. 20060183030), Science and Technology Office of Jilin Province (Grant No. 20070709) and Bureau of Science and Technology of Changchun City (Grant No. 2007107)