Effects of hydrogen annealing on the structural, optical and electrical properties of indium-doped zinc oxide films

Indium-doped zinc oxide (IZO) films were fabricated by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The effects of hydrogen annealing on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the IZO films were investigated. The hydrogen annealing may deteriorate the crystallinity of the films. The surfaces of the films would be damaged when the annealing temperature was higher than 350 A degrees C. After the annealing, the surface roughness of the films would decrease, and high transparency of 80-90% in the visible and near-infrared wavelength would be kept. Meanwhile, the resistivity decreased from 1.25 x 10(-3) Omega cm of the deposited films to 6.70 x 10(-4) Omega cm of the annealed films. The work function of the IZO films may be modulated between 4.6 and 4.98 eV by varying the hydrogen annealing temperature and duration.