The effect of high acceptor dopant concentration of Zn²⁺ on electrical, optical and structural properties of the In₂O₃ transparent conducting thin films

In this paper, deposition and electrical, optical and structural characterizations of the In₂O₃:Zn transparent conducting thin films are investigated. At first, undoped and non-stoichiometric n-In₂O₃ thin films are deposited using an alcoholic solution by spray pyrolysis technique. Then, in order to prepare Zn-doped In₂O₃ thin films, certain amounts of zinc chloride are added to the initial solution. Finally, the effects of Zn doping on electrical, optical and structural properties of In₂O₃ films are studied. The results of XRD analysis, Hall effect experiment and resistivity measurement of films indicate that no phase change in In₂O₃ lattice occurs in high acceptor doping condition, and for a given acceptor dopant (Zn²⁺) concentration (∼6wt% in solution), electrical conductivity increases sharply and p-conductivity dominates.