Direct current magnetron sputter-deposited ZnO thin films

▶ The effects of deposition parameters on the properties of ZnO films deposited on glass substrates are revealed in this paper. ▶ The granular structures of the ZnO films are enhanced with the increasing film thickness, deposition pressure and substrate temperature. ▶ Thinner film, higher deposition pressure and higher substrate temperature enhance the optical transmittance of the ZnO. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a very promising electronic material for emerging transparent large-area electronic applications including thin-film sensors, transistors and solar cells. We fabricated ZnO thin films by employing direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering deposition technique. ZnO films with different thicknesses ranging from 150nm to 750nm were deposited on glass substrates. The deposition pressure and the substrate temperature were varied from 12mTorr to 25mTorr, and from room temperature to 450°C, respectively. The influence of the film thickness, deposition pressure and the substrate temperature on structural and optical properties of the ZnO films was investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrometer. The experimental results reveal that the film thickness, deposition pressure and the substrate temperature play significant role in the structural formation and the optical properties of the deposited ZnO thin films.