Sheet resistance and optical properties of ITO thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering with different O2/Ar flow ratio

Transparent conducting indium-tin oxide (ITO) thin films play a very important role in the field of optoelectronic devices such as photovoltaic cells and flat panel display devices. ITO films display low electrical resistance and high transmittance in the visible range of the optical spectrum. ITO thin films were deposited using a magnetron sputtering with a microwave source to improve the plasma ionisation. Microwave assisted reactive sputtering allows to obtain homogeneous and high optical quality ITO thin films. Optical properties were investigated by Hitachi spectrophotometer and Aquila instrumentation. Thickness of deposited thin films was calculated on the transmittance and reflectance basis. Sheet resistance was measured using standard four-point probe method. Figure of merit was also calculated.