Influence of deposition parameters and heat treatment on the NO2 sensing properties of nanostructured indium tin oxide thin film

Highly oriented and transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) films have been deposited onto glass substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at 648 K, under an oxygen partial pressure of 1 Pa. The effect of the sputtering power and annealing was studied. Transmission was measured with a double beam spectrometer and electrical analysis using four probe and Hall effect setup. Structural characterization of the films was done by X-ray diffraction. Characterization of the coatings revealed an electrical resistivity below 6.5 x 10-3 Ω cm. The ITO films deposited at 648 K were amorphous, while the crystallinity improved after annealing at 700 K. The optical transmittance of the film was more than 80% in the visible region. The surface morphology examined by scanning electron microscopy appears to be uniform over the entire surface area, after annealing. The NO2 sensing properties of the ITO films were investigated. At a working temperature of 600 K, the ITO sensor showed high sensitivity to NO2 gas, at concentrations lower than 50 ppm.