Influence of annealing time on structural and electrical properties of Sb doped SnO2 films

Nanocrystalline 14 at % Sb-doped SnO2 films have been synthesized by a sol-gel method, to use them as solar cells electrodes. In this paper, we present a study of the annealing time of the films versus the increase of the particle size (varying from 6 nm to 19 nm) established by Scherer’s equation. We have also followed electrical resistance evolution with annealing temperature and time. An optimum value of 222 ; was measured on a sample annealed at 500 °C for 2 h. The crystalline structure of the films was characterized and phases identified by X ray diffraction in grazing incidence. Their thickness has been measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry around 200 nm.