Structural Instability of Sn-Doped In2O3 Thin Films During Thermal Annealing at Low Temperature

Yanfa Yan; J. Zhou; X. Z. Wu; H. R. Moutinho; M. M. Al-Jassim

doi:10.1016/j.tsf.2007.01.040

Structural Instability of Sn-Doped In2O3 Thin Films During Thermal Annealing at Low Temperature

Yanfa Yan, J. Zhou, X. Z. Wu, H. R. Moutinho, M. M. Al-Jassim

Materials Science

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

11 Scopus Citations

Abstract

We report on observations of structural stability of Sn-doped In₂O₃ (ITO) thin films during thermal annealing at low temperature. The ITO thin films were deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the as-deposited ITO thin films are nanocrystalline. After thermal annealing in a He atmosphere at 250 °C for 30 min, recrystallization, coalescence, and agglomeration of grains were observed. We further found that nanovoids formed in the annealed ITO thin films. The majority of the nanovoids are distributed along the locations of the original grain boundaries. These nanovoids divide the agglomerated larger grains into small coherent domains.

Original language	American English
Pages (from-to)	6686-6690
Number of pages	5
Journal	Thin Solid Films
Volume	515
Issue number	17
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2007.01.040 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsf.2007.01.040
State	Published - 2007

NREL Publication Number

NREL/JA-520-39713

Keywords

InO
Instability
TEM
Thermal annealing

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title = "Structural Instability of Sn-Doped In2O3 Thin Films During Thermal Annealing at Low Temperature",

abstract = "We report on observations of structural stability of Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) thin films during thermal annealing at low temperature. The ITO thin films were deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the as-deposited ITO thin films are nanocrystalline. After thermal annealing in a He atmosphere at 250 °C for 30 min, recrystallization, coalescence, and agglomeration of grains were observed. We further found that nanovoids formed in the annealed ITO thin films. The majority of the nanovoids are distributed along the locations of the original grain boundaries. These nanovoids divide the agglomerated larger grains into small coherent domains.",

keywords = "InO, Instability, TEM, Thermal annealing",

author = "Yanfa Yan and J. Zhou and Wu, {X. Z.} and Moutinho, {H. R.} and Al-Jassim, {M. M.}",

year = "2007",

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language = "American English",

volume = "515",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Structural Instability of Sn-Doped In2O3 Thin Films During Thermal Annealing at Low Temperature

AU - Yan, Yanfa

AU - Zhou, J.

AU - Wu, X. Z.

AU - Moutinho, H. R.

AU - Al-Jassim, M. M.

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - We report on observations of structural stability of Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) thin films during thermal annealing at low temperature. The ITO thin films were deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the as-deposited ITO thin films are nanocrystalline. After thermal annealing in a He atmosphere at 250 °C for 30 min, recrystallization, coalescence, and agglomeration of grains were observed. We further found that nanovoids formed in the annealed ITO thin films. The majority of the nanovoids are distributed along the locations of the original grain boundaries. These nanovoids divide the agglomerated larger grains into small coherent domains.

AB - We report on observations of structural stability of Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) thin films during thermal annealing at low temperature. The ITO thin films were deposited by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the as-deposited ITO thin films are nanocrystalline. After thermal annealing in a He atmosphere at 250 °C for 30 min, recrystallization, coalescence, and agglomeration of grains were observed. We further found that nanovoids formed in the annealed ITO thin films. The majority of the nanovoids are distributed along the locations of the original grain boundaries. These nanovoids divide the agglomerated larger grains into small coherent domains.

KW - InO

KW - Instability

KW - TEM

KW - Thermal annealing

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U2 - 10.1016/j.tsf.2007.01.040

DO - 10.1016/j.tsf.2007.01.040

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:34247602544

SN - 0040-6090

VL - 515

SP - 6686

EP - 6690

JO - Thin Solid Films

JF - Thin Solid Films

IS - 17

ER -

Structural Instability of Sn-Doped In2O3 Thin Films During Thermal Annealing at Low Temperature

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