Transparent conductive cadmium indate thin films prepared by dc magnetron sputtering

Transparent conducting cadmium indate films were deposited at different oxygen partial pressures in the range from <F>1×10−4</F> to <F>5×10−3</F> mbar onto glass substrates maintained at a temperature of 523 K by dc magnetron sputtering from a cadmium–indium alloy target at a sputtering pressure of <F>4×10−2</F> mbar. The films were characterised by studying the influence of oxygen partial pressure on the structural, electrical and optical properties. Cadmium indate films formed at an oxygen partial pressure of <F>5×10−4</F> mbar were polycrystalline with cubic spinel structure, low electrical resistivity of <F>1.2×10−3</F> Ω cm, high optical transmittance of 87% in the visible region, optical band gap of 3.23 eV and a figure of merit of <F>1.8×10−3</F> Ω−1. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]