Properties of indium tin oxide films prepared using reactive RF magnetron sputtering

The results obtained upon reactively RF sputtering indium - tin oxide (ITO) films are presented. It is found that while the amount of oxygen in the chamber is very critical in determining the properties of the films, it is easy to deposit reproducible films even at low oxygen concentrations when using an oxide target. At concentrations of oxygen below 2 vol% the films deposited exhibit almost metallic conductivities, while retaining an average transparency in the visible range of over 85%. The resistivity of these films increases with the oxygen concentration in the chamber, but the transition is not as sharp as that observed upon sputtering a metal target. These films are found to have very good ''figures of merit'' and are promising in their use as transparent conductors