Transparent And P-Type Conductive Nixo:V Thin Films Obtained By Reactive Dc Sputtering At Room Temperature

A non-magnetic alloy consisting of Ni(92%):V(8%) was used to obtain NixO:V thin films by reactive DC magnetron sputtering on unheated glass substrates. The oxygen content and the nickel oxidation state were modified by the oxygen partial pressure (O-pp) applied for sputtering, while the film thickness (t) was changed through the deposition time. The structural, optical and electrical properties of the samples have been analyzed by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, spectrophotometry and Hall-effect measurements. Visible transmittance and sheet resistance have been used to evaluate the quality of the films as transparent electrodes, which is found maximum for the layers prepared at 24% O-pp with t <= 100 nm. These samples show maximum p-type conductivity sigma = 0.78 S cm(-1) and optical absorption alpha = 1.4 x 10(5) cm(-1) at 0.55 mu m wavelength, both independent of the layer thickness.