Transparent and Conducting TiO2 : Nb Thin Films Prepared by Spray Pyrolysis Technique
Abstract
Abstract: To date, only sputtering and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) techniques have been employed
successfully to fabricate highly conducting and transparent TiO2 : Nb (TNO) films. In this article, we demonstrate
that transparent and conducting
TiO2
: Nb
films can be made by the spray pyrolysis technique. The films were
deposited on Corning 7059 glass substrates at 500 15˚C using an alcoholic precursor solution consisting of
titanium (iv) is opropoxide and
NbCl5
. The influence of increasing
Nb
concentration on the electrical, optical
and structural properties was investigated. The minimum resistivity, 3.36
-3 10
Ω cm, for
Ti1-xNbxO2
film (x
= 0.15) was obtained after 1 hour post deposition annealing in hydrogen atmosphere at 500˚C. The x-ray
diffraction of hydrogen annealed films showed a polycrystalline anatase (004)-oriented phase without any second
phases. The optical band gap for undoped and doped films lay in the range 3.38 – 3.47 eV. Using dispersion analysis, optical constants were determined from spectro-photometric measurements for films on glass.
