Solution Processed Zinc Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films for Thin Film Transistor Applications

Abstract

Zinc indium tin oxide thin films were grown on glass substrates by spin coating process. Zinc acetate dihydrate, indium chloride, and tin chloride dihydrate were used in aqueous solutions as the ion sources of In, Zn and Sn. In2-2xZnxSnxO3±δ films were grown for different value of x vaies from 0.1 to 0.4 with annealing temperature of 250-400 ºC. The properties of the resulting thin films were characterized by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and optical absorption measurements. The film surface is covered with very fine nano-sized particles. The zinc indium tin oxide films grown were amorphous in nature and had a band gap of 3.25 eV. The films exhibited very high transmission better than 90% in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.