Optical properties of amorphous indium zinc oxide thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition

•Amorphous indium zinc oxide thin films were synthesized by the pulsed laser deposition technique at room temperature.•IZO films containing 90 at% In exhibited high optical reflectivity in the mid-IR range.•Mobilities calculated from optical data closely matched those obtained from electrical data. The optical properties of amorphous indium zinc oxide (a-IZO) films that were grown at room temperature by the pulsed laser deposition technique with the aid of a KrF excimer laser were investigated. Two values of 0.65 and 0.90 for the In/(In+Zn) films composition were chosen since they roughly define the area in the In–Zn–O phase diagram where good transmission in the visible range together with excellent electrical properties for a-IZO films were measured. The results of the investigations indicated that the IZO films containing 90at.% In possessed excellent qualities: high transparency from 0.400 to 4μm, high reflectivity in the mid IR range together with a very low resistivity of 5×10−4Ωcm and a high mobility of 40cm2/Vs.