Effects of pre-deposition on the optoelectronic properties of AZO films by atomic layer deposition

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a promising coating technology with commercial potential, which can precisely control the film thickness by regulating the deposition cycles. Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) is regarded as one of the choices for a low-cost substitute for indium tin oxide (ITO) as a transparent conductive material. However, many crystal growth technologies face the problem of lattice mismatch between substrate and film. This study effectively reduced the stress and strain of the film through a pre-deposition process, and compared to the conventional deposition technique, the film has obtained a carrier concentration and mobility of 2.12 × 10 18 cm −3 and 38 cm/(V·s), a resistivity of 0.115 Ω/cm. The optical transmittance of AZO films was evaluated using an energy-weighted calculation method based on spectral irradiance, with the average value above 87%.