Analysis of sputter-deposited SnO thin film with SnO/Sn composite target

Tin oxides have been studied for various applications such as gas detecting materials, transparent electrodes, transparent devices, and solar cells. p-type SnO is a promising transparent oxide semiconductor because of its high optical transparency and excellent electrical properties. In this study, we fabricated p-type SnO thin film using rf magnetron sputtering with an SnO/Sn composite target; we examined the effects of various oxygen flow rates on the SnO thin films. We fundamentally investigated the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the p-type SnO thin films utilizing X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV/Vis spectrometry, and Hall Effect measurement. A p-type SnO thin film of P_O2 = 3 % was obtained with > 80% transmittance, carrier concentration of 1.12 × 10¹⁸ cm^-3, and mobility of 1.18 cm²V^-1s^-1. With increasing of the oxygen partial pressure, electrical conductivity transition from p-type to n-type was observed in the SnO crystal structure.