Effect of a ZnO Buffer Layer on the Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of TIO/ZnO Bi-layered Films

Abstract

Transparent and conducting titanium doped indium oxide (TIO) thin films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on zinc oxide (ZnO)-coated glass substrates, to investigate the effect of the ZnO buffer layer on optical and electrical properties of resulting TIO/ZnO bi-layered thin films. TIO (90 nm) / ZnO (10 nm) films having a lower resistivity (3.09×10-3 Ωcm) and a higher visible transmittance (80.3%) than other TIO/ZnO films were prepared in this study. Figure of merit results indicate that a 10 nm thick ZnO thin film is an effective buffer layer that enhances optical transmittance and electrical conductivity of TIO films, without intentional substrate heating or post-deposition annealing.