Antimony‐Doped Tin Oxide Films Deposited by the Oxidation of Tetramethyltin and Trimethylantimony

Abstract

Antimony‐doped tin oxide (ATO) films have been prepared by simultaneous oxidation of tetramethyltin (TMT) and trimethylantimony (TMA) at relatively low temperatures (450°–585°C). Since TMT and TMA have similar vapor pressures at room temperature (∼100 mm Hg at 25°C), the TMA was diluted in a pressurized argon cylinder to accurately control the doping concentration of antimony in the tin oxide. This deposition technique has allowed the growth of films with excellent electrical conductivity, while retaining the high transparency of undoped tin oxide. For instance, conductivities greater than 1000 (Ω‐cm)−1 have been obtained in 5000Å films with an optical transmission of over 80% in the visible spectrum. The effect of the deposition parameters on the growth rate and their influence on the film characteristics have been investigated over a wide range of conditions for preparing films with controllable electrical and optical properties.