Influence of film thickness on structural, optical, and electrical properties of spray deposited antimony doped SnO2 thin films

Transparent conducting antimony doped SnO2 thin films with varying thickness were deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis technique from non-aqueous solvent Propan-2-ol. The effect of film thickness on the properties of antimony doped SnO2 thin films have been studied. X-ray diffraction measurements showed tetragonal crystal structure of as-deposited antimony doped SnO2 films irrespective of film thickness. The surface morphology of antimony doped SnO2 thin film is spherical with the continuous distribution of grains. Electrical and optical properties were investigated by Hall Effect and optical measurements. The average optical transmittance of films decreased from 89% to 73% within the visible range (350–850nm) with increase in film thickness. The minimum value of sheet resistance observed is 4.81Ω/cm2. The lowest resistivity found is 3.76×10−4Ωcm at 660nm film thickness. •Effect of film thickness on the properties of antimony doped SnO2 thin films•Crystalline size in the range of 34–37nm•Average transmittance decreased from 89% to 73% in the visible region.•Minimum sheet resistance of 4.81Ω/cm2•Lowest resistivity is found to be 3.76×10−4Ωcm at 660nm film thickness.