Co-doping effects of fluorine and indium on ZnO transparent electrode films

In this study, we investigated In and F co-doping in ZnO (IFZO) films synthesized by DC magnetron sputtering. The IFZO films exhibited the highest electrical properties, with the lowest resistivity of 5.24 × 10−4 Ωcm, a carrier concentration of 4 × 1020 cm−3, and mobility of 31 cm2/Vs, as well as good transparency (82%) in the wavelength range of 400–1100 nm. The synergistic effect of In and F doping simultaneously increased the carrier concentration by 17 times and the mobility by 2 times compared to the ZnO film. This improvement was attributed to the In3+ and F− donors, as well as the reduction in the number of lattice defects by fluorine passivation. Additionally, the good transmittance of the IFZO films (85%) also met the transparency and conductivity requirements for optoelectronic applications.