Structural and physical properties of tin oxide thin films for optoelectronic applications

•The coexistence of SnO and SnO2 changed p-type conductivity to n-type conductivity.•SnO2 was favored and resistivity of film was improved at high substrate temperature.•Tin oxide film shows high transmission from NIR to UV at high sputtering pressure.•High substrate temperature made the hydrophobic tin oxide films hydrophilic. Tin oxide films were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. At a lower sputtering pressure, the tin oxide film comprised nanocrystalline orthorhombic SnO with a (110) orientation, greater p-type conductivity and better hydrophobicity. Increasing substrate temperature resulted in the coexistence of nanocrystalline orthorhombic SnO and tetragonal SnO2 in the deposited film, favoring hydrophilicity, changing the p-type conductivity to n-type conductivity, and reducing resistivity. As the sputtering pressure or substrate temperature increased, the tin oxide film exhibited a lower surface roughness, a larger optical energy gap, and higher optical transmission.