Investigation of conductive transparent In2O3 thin films deposited by triode sputtering

Conductive transparent thin films play a significant role in the today´s electronics and optical technologies. Displays of various types, photovoltaic systems, and optoelectronic devices use these films as transparent signal electrodes or heating surfaces. In our work, conductive transparent indium oxide (In₂O₃) thin films were prepared using a novel implementation of the triode sputtering method. A pure In₂O₃ target of 2 inch in diameter was used for sputtering in a laboratory triode system provided with a plane plasma discharge at relatively low pressure (0.5-5 mTorr) of pure argon (Ar). The substrate temperature was varied during experiments from room temperature up to 200°C. The films were deposited on optical glass slides of 1 mm thick. The resultant films were characterized for their optical and electrical properties and compared with the In₂O₃ films deposited by magnetron sputtering.