Indium tin oxide sol–gel precursor conversion process using the third harmonics of Nd:YAG laser

We use the third harmonics of Nd:YAG laser (λ = 355 nm) for simultaneous precursor conversion and dopant activation on sol–gel ITO thin films at a laser fluence range of 700–1000 mJ/cm2. A minimum resistivity of 5.37 × 10−2 Ω-cm with a corresponding carrier concentration of 6 × 1019 cm−3 is achieved at laser irradiation fluence of 900 mJ/cm2. X-ray photoelectron analysis reveals that extremely high tin concentration of 19.4 at.% and above is presented in the laser-cured ITO thin films compared with 8.7 at.% in the 500 °C thermally cured counterpart. These excess tin-ions form complex defects, which contribute no free carriers but act as scattering centers, causing inferior electrical properties of the laser-cured films in comparison with the thermally cured ones.