Preparation of Fluorine-Containing Indium Tin Oxide Sputtering Targets using Spark Plasma Sintering Process

Fluorine‐containing indium tin oxide (F‐ITO) sputtering targets were prepared using spark‐plasma‐sintering (SPS) process. The initial powder, which was prepared by reacting ITO with HF, was sintered to the 10 cm‐disks with nearly 90% of the theoretical density by the SPS process. The resulting disks were consisted of ITO and InOF, and the fluorine content was about 4 at.%. Using the F‐ITO disks as sputtering target, thin films were deposited on the glass substrates. The electrical conductivity and optical transmission of the deposited films were comparable to those of the conventional ITO films, while the surface roughness of the films was much improved.