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Present work is focused on the improvement of gas sensing and opto-electronic properties of cadmium oxide (CdO) thin films deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis technique, with different cobalt (Co) dopant concentrations in the final spray solution. The XRD patterns reveal that the preferential growth is shifted between (111) and (200) depending on the Co- doping concentrations. The Cd-O bond vibrations were confirmed by micro-Raman analysis. The oxidization state of metal elements was determined by XPS analysis. The FE-SEM analysis revealed the variation in surface microstructure due to the variation in Co- doping concentration in CdO thin films. The elemental composition of deposited films was estimated using EDS. The formaldehyde gas response of 0.50 wt% Co- doped CdO thin film was 23%. The electrical properties were estimated by Hall measurements in van der Pauw configuration. The 0.50 wt% Co- doped CdO thin film showed a maximum carrier mobility of about 87 cm 2 /Vs and a photocurrent of 2.50 nA at 42 V. The Co- doped CdO thin films showed a high optical transmittance of about 84% in the range of 600–1100 nm. The band gap varies between 2.38 eV and 2.50 eV. The estimated high figure of merit is 4.79 × 10 −3 Ω −1 for 0.50 wt% of Co- doped CdO film.

The ruthenium (Ru) doped CdO thin films were deposited by spray pyrolysis method on glass substrate, with various Ru concentrations (0.1, 0.125, 0.150, 0.175 and 0.2 wt%). The effect of Ru doping concentration on the electrical, optical, structural, microstructural and gas sensing properties was studied by Hall measurement, UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, micro-Raman and chemi-resistivity method. The results obtained show that the carrier mobility, visible-NIR transparency, surface morphology and gas response are effectively tuned by varying Ru doping concentration. The 0.1 wt% Ru doped CdO thin film shows relatively high optical band gap (2.32 eV) and maximum transmittance (70%) in the range between 600 and 900 nm. The high electrical properties (mobility 110 cm2/V⋅s and carrier concentration 1.77 × 1020 cm−3) are obtained for 0.150 wt% Ru doped CdO thin film. The high formaldehyde gas sensitivity (35%), fast response and recovery time are observed for 0.150 wt% Ru doped CdO thin film.

Solution based chemical spray pyrolysis technique was employed to deposit lanthanum (La) doped cadmium oxide (CdO) thin films on soda-lime microscope glass slides. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that deposited films are polycrystalline having cubic crystal system. The undoped and 0.25 wt % La doped CdO films show relatively intense (111) plane, which is shifted to (200) plane for doping concentrations greater than 0.50 wt %. The parameters such as lattice constants, crystallite size, micro-strain, dislocation density and texture coefficient are extracted from XRD data. Field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis confirmed the smooth and uniform surface. Energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis was used to estimate the preliminary information on elemental composition. The deposited undoped and La doped films possess optical transmittance ranging 78–82% in the visible and near infrared (NIR) region. The estimated direct optical band gap of undoped and La doped CdO thin films is varied between 2.38 eV and 2.46 eV. Hall measurements confirmed the n-type conductivity in the films. The doping-modulated mobility and carrier concentration are ranging 68 cm2/V s–78 cm2/V s, and 1.0 × 1020 cm−3–4.06 × 1020 cm−3, respectively. Room temperature micro-Raman studies confirmed the metal oxide (Cd O) bond vibrations in deposited films. A high figure of merit (11.45 × 10−3 Ω−1) is obtained from 1.0 wt % La doped CdO film.

Praseodymium (Pr) doped CdO thin films with high transparency and high mobility were deposited, using a homemade spray pyrolysis setup, on micro-slide glass substrates preheated at 300 °C. Polycrystalline nature and Cd-O bond vibration of deposited films were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses. The oxidation state of Cd2+, O2−, and Pr3+ was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The highest average particle size (92 nm-FESEM) and high RMS (13.48 nm-AFM) values are obtained for 0.50 wt% Pr doped CdO thin film. The optical band gap is varied between 2.38 eV and 2.52 eV, depending on the Pr doping concentration. Photoluminescence spectra revealed that Pr doped CdO thin film exhibits strong green emission at 582 nm. High mobility (82 cm2/V s), high charge carrier concentration (2.19×1020 cm−3) and high transmittance (83%) were observed for 0.50 wt% Pr doped CdO film. A high figure of merit (9.79×10−3 Ω−1) was obtained for 0.50 wt% Pr doped CdO thin films. The mechanism behind the above results is discussed in detail in this paper.

Direct electron transfer with redox proteins, in third generation biosensors, is already proved to be favored on electrodes modified with nanoparticles. In this work, different crystallographic and morphologic structures of tungsten oxide (WO3) nanoparticles are modified by hydrothermal synthesis at 180 °C. The electrochemical properties of WO3 nanoparticles deposit on ITO electrodes are investigated and the analytical performance of the nitrite biosensor is presented as proof of concept. Despite the inherent features of each nanostructure, the heterogeneous electron transfer with the WO3 nanoparticles modified electrodes is thoroughly improved and, very importantly, the cytochrome c nitrite reductase (ccNiR) enzyme is able to keep its biological function. When compared with bare commercial ITO electrodes, the exchange rate constant of WO3/ITO electrodes with cytochrome c increased one order of magnitude, while the analytical parameters of the ccNiR/WO3/ITO electrodes response to nitrite (the Michaelis–Menten constant is 47 μM and sensitivity of 2143 mA M −1 cm−2) are comparable to those reported for carbon based electrodes. Therefore, these metal oxide nanoparticles are good alternative materials for electrochemical applications, such as non-mediated biosensors.

Thin films of Zn 1− x Nd x O were deposited by spray pyrolysis on Si(111) substrates preheated at 400 °C temperature and were studied as a function of neodymium (Nd)-doping concentration. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed that the deposited films possess hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure. Further, it is observed that the doped films show a preferential orientation along the c -axis (0 0 2), which is perpendicular to the substrate. The un-doped films seem to be having a bit low-crystallinity, which is corroborated by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis that showed nano-crystalline like features. Further, SEM analysis showed that the Nd doping triggers the formation bubble-like structure on top of the nano-crystalline structure. The SEM microstructures are interpreted with the Micro-Raman studies. Photoluminescence (PL) and XRD characterizations indicate that above 5 at.% doping concentrations, the Nd atoms preferentially agglomerate in the large islands.

Doped metal oxide semiconductors have received greater attention for the development of gas sensor, working at low temperature, as well as of optoelectronics. In this work, a post transition metal ion of bismuth (Bi) doped cadmium oxide (CdO) thin films were deposited by a cost-effective pyrolytic spray process at substrate temperature of 300 °C. The effects of Bi-doping concentrations on the microstructural, gas sensing and optoelectronic properties of CdO thin films are systematically studied. The CdO film doped with 0.75 wt% of Bi exhibits high response (86.20%) to formaldehyde at a low operating temperature of 130 °C with satisfactory stability, selectivity and anti-interference to humidity. The response mechanism to formaldehyde is discussed in details. Optical results indicate that an improved transmittance above 80% in visible and NIR region was observed for all the Bi-doped CdO thin films with an enhanced optical band gap, in comparison with undoped CdO. Photoluminescence study indicates the presence of optical defects such as neutral donors and deep centers in CdO thin films. The high figure of merit value (4.56 × 10−3 Ω-1) obtained from 0.50 wt% of Bi-doped CdO is superior to the previously reported. The improved carrier mobility (78 cm2/V⋅s) is obtained from 0.25 wt% of Bi-doped CdO thin film. The present investigation indicated that the Bi-doped CdO thin films would be an attractive candidate for formaldehyde gas sensing and optoelectronic applications.

a b s t r a c t This work reports the structural, optical, electrical and thermoelectric properties of vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) thin films deposited at room temperature by thermal evaporation on Corning glass substrates. A post-deposition thermal treatment up to 973 K under atmospheric conditions induces the crystallization of the as-deposited amorphous films with an orthorhombic V2O5 phase with grain sizes around 26 nm. As the annealing temperature rises up to 773 K the electrical conductivity increases. The films exhibit thermoelectric properties with a maximum Seebeck coefficient of −218 V/K and electrical conductivity of 5.5 (� m)−1. All the films show NIR-Vis optical transmittance above 60% and optical band gap of 2.8 eV.

The effect of substrate temperature (Ts) on the properties of pyrolytically deposited nitrogen (N) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films was investigated. The Ts was varied from 300 °C to 500 °C, with a step of 50 °C. The positive sign of Hall coefficient confirmed the p-type conductivity in the films deposited at 450 °C and 500 °C. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the ZnO structure with a dominant peak from (1 0 0) crystal plane, irrespective of the variation in Ts. The presence of N in the ZnO structure was evidenced through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The obtained high N concentration reveals that the 450 °C is the optimal Ts. Atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis showed that the surface roughness was increased with the increasing Ts until 400 °C but then decreased. It is found that the transmittance of the deposited films is increased with the increasing Ts. The optical band gap calculated from the absorption edge showed that the films deposited with Ts of 300 °C and 350 °C possess higher values than those deposited at higher Ts.

Molybdenum (0.5 at%) doped indium oxide thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis technique wereirradiated by 100 MeV O 7þ ions with different fluences of 5 10 11 ,1 12 and 1 10 13 ions/cm 2 .Intensity of (222) peak of the pristine film was decreased with increase in the ion fluence. Filmsirradiated with the maximum ion fluence of 1 1310 ions/cm 2 showed a fraction of amorphous nature.The surface microstructures on the surface of the film showed that increase in ion fluence decreases thegrain size. Mobility of the pristine molybdenum doped indium oxide films was decreased from 122 to48 cm 2 /V s with increasing ion fluence. Among the irradiated films the film irradiated with the ionfluence of 5 1110 ions/cm 2 showed relatively low resistivity of 6.7 10 4 O cm with the mobility of75 cm 2 /V s. The average transmittance of the as-deposited IMO film is decreased from 89% to 81% dueto irradiation with the fluence of 5 1110 ions/cm 2 .& 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. IntroductionTransparent conducting oxides (TCOs) constitute an unusualclass of materials possessing two physical properties such as highoptical transparency (T) and high electrical conductivity (

N-doped ZnO films were radio frequency (RF) sputtered on glass substrates and studied as a function of oxygen partial pressure (OPP) ranging from 3.0×10 −4 to 9.5×10 −3 Pa. X-ray diffraction patters confirmed the polycrystalline nature of the deposited films. The crystalline structure is influenced by the variation of OPP. Atomic force microscopy analysis confirmed the agglomeration of the neighboring spherical grains with a sharp increase of root mean square (RMS) roughness when the OPP is increased above 1.4×10 −3 Pa. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that the incorporation of N content into the film is decreased with the increase of OPP, noticeably N 1s XPS peaks are hardly identified at 9.5×10 −3 Pa. The average visible transmittance (380-700 nm) is increased with the increase of OPP (from ∼17% to 70%), and the optical absorption edge shifts towards the shorter wavelength. The films deposited with low OPP (≤ 3.0×10 −4 Pa) show n-type conductivity and those deposited with high OPP (≥ 9.0×10 −4 Pa) are highly resistive (>10 5 Ω·cm)

High visible to near infrared (NIR) transparent Mo (0–1 at%) doped In2O3 (IMO) thin films with high carrier mobility were deposited on Corning-1737 glass substrates at 400 °C by spray pyrolysis experimental technique. The films were annealed in vacuum (∼1×10−4 mbar) at 550 °C for 45 min. XRD analysis confirmed that indium oxide belongs to cubic bixbyite structure. The preferred growth orientation along (2 2 2) plane for low Mo doping level shifts to (4 0 0) for higher Mo doping levels. Crystallite sizes extracted from the XRD data corroborate the changes in full-width at half-maximum due to the variation in Mo doping. Scanning electron microscopy study illustrates the evolution in surface microstructures as a function of Mo doping. The negative sign of Hall coefficient confirmed n-type conductivity. Films with high mobility of ∼149 cm2/(V s), carrier concentration of ∼1.0×1020 cm−3, resistivity of ∼4.0×10−4 Ω cm and high figure of merit of ∼1.02×10−2 Ω−1 were observed for post-annealed films (0.5 at% Mo). The obtained high average transparency of ∼83% in the wavelength range 400–2500 nm confirms that transmittance is well extended into the NIR region.

Indium molybdenum oxide (IMO) thin films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on glass substrates at room temperature. The deposition and argon partial pressures were maintained at 6.0 × 10−1 Pa and 3.0 × 10−1 Pa, respectively. The oxygen partial pressure (OPP) was varied in the range 1.0–6.0 × 10−3 Pa. The films were sputtered at 40 W for 30 min using the target consisted In2O3 (98 wt%): Mo (2 wt%). The films are polycrystalline with a slight preferential orientation along (2 2 2) plane. The crystallinity is increased with the increasing OPP. The negative sign of Hall coefficient confirmed the n-type conductivity. A maximum mobility ∼19 cm2 V−1 s−1 is obtained for the films deposited with OPP of 3.6 × 10−3 Pa. The average visible transmittance calculated in the wavelength ranging 500–800 nm is ranging between 2% and 77%. The optical band gap calculated from the absorption data is varied between 3.69 and 3.91 eV. A striking feature is that the work function of the films is wide ranging 4.61–4.93 eV. A possibility of using the produced IMO films as transparent conducting oxide in photovoltaic applications such as organic solar cells is discussed in this article.

Transparent and highly conducting gallium zinc oxide (GZO) films were successfully deposited by RF sputtering at room temperature. A lowest resistivity of ∼2.8×10−4 Ω cm was achieved for a film thickness of 1100 nm (sheet resistance ∼2.5 Ω/□), with a Hall mobility of 18 cm2/V s and a carrier concentration of 1.3×1021 cm−3. The films are polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure having a strong crystallographic c-axis orientation. A linear dependence between the mobility and the crystallite size was obtained. The films are highly transparent (between 80% and 90% including the glass substrate) in the visible spectra with a refractive index of about 2, very similar to the value reported for the bulk material. These films were applied to single glass/TCO/pin hydrogenated amorphous silicon solar cells as front layer contact, leading to solar cells with efficiencies of about 9.52%. With the optimized deposition conditions, GZO films were also deposited on polymer (PEN) substrates and the obtained results are discussed.

Thin films of copper oxide were obtained through thermal oxidation (100–450 °C) of evaporated metallic copper (Cu) films on glass substrates. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the cubic Cu phase of the as-deposited films. The films annealed at 100 °C showed mixed Cu–Cu 2 O phase, whereas those annealed between 200 and 300 °C showed a single cubic Cu 2 O phase. A single monoclinic CuO phase was obtained from the films annealed between 350 and 450 °C. The positive sign of the Hall coefficient confirmed the p-type conductivity in the films with Cu 2 O phase. However, a relatively poor crystallinity of these films limited the p-type characteristics. The films with Cu and CuO phases show n-type conductivity. The surface of the as-deposited is smooth (RMS roughness of 1.47 nm) and comprised of uniformly distributed grains (AFM and SEM analysis). The post-annealing is found to be effective on the distribution of grains and their sizes. The poor transmittance of the as-deposited films (

Transparent wide band gap indium molybdenum oxide (IMO) thin films were rf sputtered on glass substrates at room temperature. The films were studied as a function of sputtering power (ranging 40–180 W) and sputtering time (ranging 2.5–20 min). The film thickness was varied in the range 50–400 nm. The as-deposited films were characterized by their structural (XRD), morphological (AFM), electrical (Hall Effect measurements) and optical (visible-NIR spectroscopy) properties. XRD studies revealed that the films are amorphous for the sputtering power ≤ 100 W and the deposition time ≤ 5 min, and the rest are polycrystalline with a strong reflection from (222) plane showing a preferential orientation. A minimum bulk resistivity of 2.65 × 10 − 3 Ω cm and a maximum carrier concentration of 4.16 × 10 20 cm − 3 are obtained for the crystalline films sputtered at 180 W (10 min). Whereas a maximum mobility (19.5 cm 2 V − 1 s − 1 ) and average visible transmittance (∼ 85%) are obtained for the amorphous films sputtered at 80 W and 100 W respectively for 10 min. A minimum transmittance (∼ 18%) was obtained for the crystalline films sputtered at 180 W (∼ 305 nm thick). The optical band gap was found varying between 3.75 and 3.90 eV for various sputtering parameters. The obtained results are analyzed and corroborated with the structure of the films.

Indium molybdenum oxide thin films were RF sputtered at room temperature on glass substrates with a reference base pressure of 7.5 × 10 − 4 Pa. The electrical and optical properties of the films were studied as a function of oxygen partial pressures (OPP) ranging from 1.5 × 10 − 3 Pa to 3.5 × 10 − 3 Pa. The obtained data show that the bulk resistivity of the films increased by about 4 orders of magnitude (from 7.9 × 10 − 3 to 7.6 × 10 1 Ω-cm) when the OPP increased from 1.5 × 10 − 3 to 3.5 × 10 − 3 Pa, and the carrier concentration decreased by about 4 orders (from 1.77 × 10 20 to 2.31 × 10 16 cm − 3 ). On the other hand, the average visible transmittance of 30.54% of the films (brown colour; OPP = 1.5 × 10 − 3 Pa) was increased with increasing OPP to a maximum of 80.47% (OPP = 3.5 × 10 − 3 Pa). The optical band gap calculated from the absorption edge of the transmittance spectra ranges from 3.77 to 3.88 eV. Further, the optical and electrical properties of the films differ from those deposited at similar conditions but with a base pressure lower than 7.5 × 10 − 4 Pa.

In this work we present a study on the effect of annealing temperatures on the structural, morphological, electrical and optical characteristics of gallium doped zinc oxide (GZO), indium zinc oxide (IZO) and indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films. GZO and IZO films were deposited at room temperature by r.f. magnetron sputtering, whereas the ITO films were commercial ones purchased from Balzers. All films were annealed at temperatures of 250 and 500 °C in open air for 1 h. The GZO and ITO films were polycrystalline. The amorphous structure of as-deposited IZO films becomes crystalline on high temperature annealing (500 °C). The sheet resistivity increased with increase in annealing temperature. GZO films showed an increase of 6 orders of magnitude. The optical transmittance and band gap of as-deposited films varied with annealing. The highest transmittance (over 95 %) and maximum band gap (3.93 eV) have been obtained for ITO films.

Thin films of molybdenum-doped indium oxide (IMO) were prepared by a 3-source, cylindrical radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The films were post-annealed and were characterized by their structural (X-ray diffraction) and optical (UV–VIS–NIR spectrophotometer) properties. The films were studied as a function of oxygen volume percentage (O 2 vol.%) ranging from 3.5 to 17.5. The structural studies revealed that the as-deposited amorphous films become crystalline on annealing. In most cases, the (222) reflection emerged as high intensive peak. The poor visible transmittance of the films as-deposited without oxygen was increased from ∼ 12% to over 80% on introducing oxygen (3.5 O 2 vol.%). For the films annealed in open air, the average visible transmittance in the wavelength ranging 400–800 nm was varied between 77 and 84%. The films annealed at high temperatures (> 300 °C) decreased the transmittance to as low as

Mixed thin films of (CdO) 1− x (PbO) x (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) were deposited from spray pyrolytic decomposition of aqueous solutions of cadmium and lead acetates on glass substrates at a substrate temperature of 350 °C. These films were characterized for their structural (X-ray diffraction (XRD)) and optical (UV-Vis-NIR spectrum) properties as a function of PbO volume percentage ( x ). XRD studies confirm the cubic phase of CdO and orthorhombic phase of α-PbO. The crystallinity of (111) and (200) planes of the cubic phase of CdO is found to increase with increasing PbO vol.% until x = 0.25 and then decreases for x = 0.50 whereas the crystallinity of the (001) ⁎ , (111) ⁎ and (002) ⁎ planes of PbO increases with increasing vol.% of x from 0.25 to 1.00. The mean crystallite size calculated from XRD data is ranging from191 to 671 A. The average transmittance in the visible region (500–850 nm) varies between 40 and 68%. The direct optical band gap value of these films varies from 1.96 to 2.69 eV.

Thin films of fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO2:F) on glass were prepared by spray pyrolysis technique using stannous chloride (SnCl2) and ammonium fluoride (NH4F) as precursors. The as-prepared films were characterized for their structural and electrical properties and are discussed in detail in this article. The surface morphology studies revealed that the films are grainy and the roughness of undoped films has been reduced on fluorine doping. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies revealed that the films are polycrystalline. It further revealed that the undoped films grow along the preferred orientation of (211), whereas all the doped films grow along (200). The minimum sheet resistance 1.75 Ω/□ achieved in the present study for the films doped with 15 wt.% F is the lowest among the reported values for these materials prepared using SnCl2 precursor. The electrical transport phenomenon has been analyzed in order to find out the possible scattering mechanism that limiting the mobility of charge carriers.

Thin films of antimony-doped tin oxide (SnO2:Sb) were prepared by spray pyrolysis using stannous chloride (SnCl2) and antimony trichloride (SbCl3) as precursors. The antimony doping was varied from 0 to 4 wt%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the surface morphology to be very smooth, yet grainy in nature. X-ray diffraction (XRD) shows films to have preferred orientation, which varies with the extent of antimony doping: undoped films prefer the (2 1 1) orientation, while the (3 0 1) orientation is preferred for doping levels of 0.5 and 1.0 wt%. For higher doping levels, the (2 0 0) orientation is preferred. This difference in preferred orientations is reflected in the SEM of the films. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals that film roughness is not affected by antimony doping. The minimum sheet resistance (2.17 ohm/square) achieved in the present study is lower than values reported to date in SnO2:Sb films prepared from SnCl2 precursor. The Hall mobility of undoped SnO2 films was found to be 109.52 cm(2)/V s, which reduces to 2.55 cm(2)/ Vs for the films doped with 4 wt% of Sb. On the other hand, the carrier concentration, which is 1.23 x 10(19) cm(-3) in undoped films, increases to 2.89 x 10(21) cm(-3) for the films doped with 4 wt% of Sb. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mixed thin films of (CdO)1−x(PbO)x and (CdS)1−x(PbS)x (x=0.25) were prepared on glass substrates by spray pyrolysis technique for various substrate temperatures 300, 320 and 340 °C. Structural and optical properties were studied. XRD studies reveal the formation of mixed films. The substrate temperature of 340 °C seems to be critical for the formation of CdO–PbO mixed films. It is observed that (CdS)1−x(PbS)x mixed films were formed at all the three substrate temperatures. The direct band gap value of (CdO)1−x(PbO)x and (CdS)1−x(PbS)x mixed films is about 2.6 and 2.37 eV, respectively.

Thin films of antimony doped tin oxide (SnO 2 :Sb) were prepared by spray pyrolysis technique using SnCl 2 as precursorwith the various antimony doping levels ranging from 1 to 4 wt%. The XRD analysis showed that the undoped SnO 2 films growin (211) preferred orientation whereas the Sb doped films grow in (200) plane. Scanning electron microscopy studies indicatedthat the surface of the films prepared with lower doping level (1 wt%) consists of larger grains whereas those prepared withhigher doping levels (.1 wt%) consist of smaller grains. The sheet resistance has been found to be reduced considerably(2.17 V/A) for Sb doped films. To the best of our knowledge this is the lowest sheet resistance obtained for Sb doped SnO 2 thinfilms.q 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. PACS: 60.10. 2 i; 61.16.Bg; 61.82.Fk; 73.61. 2 rKeywords: A. Thin films; A. Semiconductors; A. Tin oxide thin films; C. Scanning electron microscopy 1. IntroductionTin oxide thin films doped with antimony exhibitinteresting electrochemical properties in different electrodeprocesses, such as low temperature electrochemical com-bustion of organic pollutants, ozone production and organicelectro-synthesis [1,2]. Sb doped tin oxide coatings areconventionally prepared by spray pyrolysis of tin tetra-chloride-antimony trichloride mixtures, because of itssimple processing and economic advantages [3–8]. Anti-mony pentachloride has also been tried as a precursor of Sb[9,10]. In the point of view of an inadequate work [11] onthese films using stannous chloride (SnCl