Effect of RF power of Al2O3 target on the physical properties of aluminum‑doped zinc oxide films

In this report, we investigate the optical and electrical properties of aluminum zinc oxide (AZO) thin films using magnetron sputtering method in preparing the thin films and spectrophotometer to measure the optical characteristics. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the films are found to have amorphous structure. The optical band gap E_g, refractive index n, electronic  polarizability, carrier concentration N_c, plasma frequency , electrical resistivity , and sheet resistance  are found to decrease with increasing the RF power of Al₂O₃ target. The refractive index shows a normal dispersion. Urbach energy Eu and figure of merit are found to increase with increasing the RF power of Al₂O₃ target. Our results manifest that the change of the RF power of the Al₂O₃ target can improve the AZO thin films, which is appropriate for solar sell applications.