Effects of growth temperature and target material on the growth behavior and electro-optical properties of ZnO:Al films deposited by high-rate steered cathodic arc plasma evaporation

•ZnO:Al (AZO) films are deposited on glass by steered cathodic arc plasma evaporation.•AZO films are grown at a high growth rate (215nm/min).•Droplet size is reduced when a high-melting-point AZO ceramic target is adopted.•Films deposited at 200°C had the best performance with low resistivity (5.48×10−4Ωcm) and high transparency (87.7%). ZnO:Al (AZO) films were deposited using high-rate (215nm/min) steered cathodic arc plasma evaporation with a ceramic AZO target at various deposition temperatures (Td=80–400°C). AZO films were also prepared with a Zn–Al target at various Td values for comparison. The high-melting-point (1975°C) AZO target significantly reduced the droplet size to ∼150nm. In contrast, opaque Zn–Al microdroplets (several μm) were incorporated into the film deposited using the Zn–Al target. The incorporation of large microdroplets resulted in a rough surface and a nonuniform distribution of film thickness due to the self-shadowing effect. Using a combination of a ceramic AZO target and a steered arc to deposit AZO films significantly reduces the droplet size and maintains a high growth rate. The ratio of c- and a-axes lattice constants (c/a ratio) decreased with increasing Td. A higher c/a ratio facilitates strain relaxation via the formation of basal-plane stacking faults. The Al3+ doping efficiency was improved by increasing Td; however, the Al segregated to the grain boundary at high Td (>300°C). The films deposited with an AZO target at 200°C had the highest figure of merit (2.21×10−2Ω−1), with a corresponding average transmittance of 87.7% and resistivity of 5.48×10−4Ωcm.