Electrical performance of Ti-ZnO-Au thin film composite structure for device application

Thin film layers of Au/Ti approximately 2200 Å thick and ZnO approximately 2.24 µm thick were sputtered sequentially onto silicon dioxide coated Si-wafer. Conventional wisdom confirms the adhesion of gold over zinc oxide (ZnO) by an intermediate layer of titanium for better adhesion. But, in Au/Ti/ZnO/Au/Ti structure, it was observed that with the passing of time the gold diffused into ZnO thin film at room temperature, making a very low resistance between the two gold layers eventually making a conductive path in ZnO. Therefore, electrical connectivity was found between the metal layers. A detailed experimental analysis has been carried out in support of the observed Au diffusion. In the present work, reliability of Ti/Au metallisation and anomalous electrical behavior due to gold diffusion has been studied.