Influence Of Positive Substrate Bias On The Electrical Properties Of Zno : Al Films Prepared By Dc Magnetron Sputtering

In this paper, we report an investigation into the feasibility of aluminum-doped zinc-oxide (ZnO:Al) films as transparent conducting oxide layers for plasma panel displays. ZnO:Al films were deposited on glass substrates by DC magnetron sputtering from a zinc-oxide (ZnO) target mixed with 2 wt.% Al2O3. The effects of substrate bias on the electrical properties and the film structure were studied. Films deposited with a positive bias had a strong (002) preferred orientation. The electrical resistivity of the film decreased significantly as the positive bias increased. However, as the positive bias increased over +30 V, the resistivity increased. An electrical resistivity as low as 4.3 x 10(-4) Omega-cm and an optical transmittance of 91.46% were obtained for an 800 nm-thick film deposited at a substrate bias of +30 V.