Deposition and annealing studies of indium tin oxide films

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films were deposited on to glass substrates by an RF magnetron sputtering system using a pressed ITO target (In-Sn, 90-10). The deposition rate, electrical, and optical characteristics of the films have been investigated as a function of pressure. The post-deposition annealing has been done for ITO films in an argon gas ambient atmosphere, and the effect of annealing temperature on the electrical, and optical properties of ITO films was studied. It has been found that sheet resistance of the films after annealing was found to decrease, however, there was no significant change in optical transmission after heat treatment.