Oxidation dependent crystallization behaviour of IO and ITO thin films deposited by reactive thermal deposition technique

Indium oxide (IO) and indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited by reactive thermal deposition technique using Indium and In–Sn alloy sources. Depositions were carried out for different substrate temperatures and for different deposition rates. X-Ray diffraction studies reveals the change in the predominant plane of crystallization of the IO and ITO films from (222) to (400) during the increase in deposition rate. The concentration of tin in the indium oxide does not seem to affect the orientation changes. Optical band-gap studies reveal that the films with (400) predominant planes have relatively lower band-gap than the films with (222) predominant planes. Electrical characterization studies exhibit a relatively higher conductivity for the films with (400) predominant planes.