Densification of In2O3:Sn multilayered films elaborated by the dip-coating sol-gel route

Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) thin films have been deposited by the Sol-Gel Dip-Coating technique, the starting solutions being prepared from chlorides. These multilayered films were crystallized by means of a classical heat treatment at temperatures ranging from 500 to 600 DGC. Five stacked layers are necessary to obtain a global electrical resistivity value of 2.9x10-3 *W cm, for 500 DGC annealed film. The paper focuses on the study of the structure of such multilayered deposits, and on the densification process, using transmission electron microscopy, Rutherford Back-scattering Spectrometry and electrical resistivity measurements. This analysis reveals structural inhomogeneities and different crystallite growth processes as a function of annealing temperature and number of deposited layers.