Tailoring of microstructure and optoelectronic properties of Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide changing gun tilt

The influence of gun tilt on microstructure and optoelectronic properties of ZnO:Al thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering onto transparent glass substrates was studied. The structural and morphological film properties were investigated according to the cathode angle that placed in confocal geometry configuration inside sputtering system. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) were used, respectively. Film microstructure was analyzed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Results showed relevant changes in AZO film properties depending on gun tilt, fact that can affect the device performance. Rougher AZO surfaces with lower average transparency values in visible range and worse electrical properties were observed when gun tilt decreased. These strong dependences can be considered as important aspects when design suitable electrodes for optoelectronic devices. In this sense, the ability of tuning AZO film properties as function of geometrical deposition system configuration was evaluated. This approach would allow fabricating coatings based on the same raw material but different optoelectronic properties.