Study of Plasma Properties for the Low‐Temperature Deposition of Highly Conductive Aluminum Doped ZnO Film Using ICP Assisted DC Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract

This work reports an investigation of the Al‐doped ZnO (AZO) film deposition process using ICP assisted DC magnetron plasmas, at different working pressures. The mechanism of plasma formation and plasma properties are analyzed by various diagnostic tools. Data show that there is the presence of low‐frequency oscillations in the range of 3–8 MHz, which are expected to be caused by high‐frequency waves. It is seen that ICP source is quite capable of producing the high‐energy warm electrons that are expected to be produced by the Landau damping. The plasma properties and their role on the electrical and structural properties of the AZO film are carefully studied. This work also reports the deposition of high conductive AZO films with resistivity as low as ∼ 6.8 × 10 −4 cm using low‐temperature process.