Dependence of RF Sputtering Power on Structural and Electrical Properties of SnO₂ Thin Films

ABSTRACT

SnO₂ thin films were deposited on Si substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique, and the effects of different sputtering power (60–90 W) on the structural, surface morphological, and electrical properties of the film were investigated with XRD, Raman, AFM, SEM, and fore point probe. The deposited SnO₂ film at lower RF was amorphous, while well‐defined intense XRD signals at higher RF power indicated significant improvement in crystalline nature. E_g and A_1g vibrating modes related to SnO₂ were clearly observed in the Raman spectra. With the increasing RF sputtering power, the surface roughness of the films gradually increased while electrical resistivity revealed sharp decrease.