Effects of deposition inclination angle on the mechanical, optical and electrical characteristics of Al-doped ZnO films

A flat plate in the deposition stage is designed to be tilted flexibly to form an inclination angle between an ion beam and the direction normal to a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. Five kinds of PET/aluminum-doped zinc oxide specimen were prepared to examine the effects of inclination angle on the mechanical, optical and electrical properties. Increase in the inclination angle is advantageous for the increase in thin film porosity before reaching its asymptotic value. An appropriate choice in a nonzero inclination angle can increase the mechanical properties in hardness and reduced module and carrier concentration, and decrease the carrier mobility and electrical resistivity of the specimen greatly in a simple way.