Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2011
Tin oxide thin films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) for applications as a transparent conductor. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to quantify the crystal structure and morphology of these films both as-deposited and after annealing conditions. Annealing was performed in an argon environment as a function of time and temperature. Although annealing was found to significantly improve electrical properties, the structure as measured by XRD remained largely unchanged. Hall effect measurements show that the improvements in resistivity are due to increases in carrier concentration. XRD did reveal that films deposited on the powered electrode had a film orientation that was distinctly different than films deposited on the grounded electrode. These changes suggest the importance of ion bombardment energy. The structural changes were correlated with improved electrical properties.