Effect of RF power on SnO thin films obtained by sputtering

SnO thin films were fabricated by rf reactive sputtering on borosilicate substrates with an Sn target and Ar/O₂ gas mixture. The effect of rf power on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of SnO thin films was investigated with XRD, AFM, SEM, Hall effect measurements, and UV-Vis spectrometer. As a plasma power increased the crystallinity with a preferred orientation of SnO thin films was improved and the grain size slightly increased. However the grains were coalesced and excessively irregular in shape. The electrical conductivity of SnO thin films demonstrated a relatively low p-type conductivity of 0.024 (Wcm)^-1 at a higher power condition. Lastly, SnO thin films had poor optical transmittance in the visible range as a plasma power increased.