Effect of Substrate Temperature on Properties of Indium-Tin-Oxide Films Deposited on Poly(ethylene terephthalate) Substrate by DC Magnetron Sputtering

Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films were successfully deposited on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates at various temperatures by DC magnetron sputtering. The influence of the substrate temperature on the electrical, structural, mechanical and optical properties and surface morphology was investigated. The optimum electrical, optical and mechanical properties were obtained for the films deposited at a substrate temperature of 70 degrees C, which was attributed to the enhancement of the surface migration of the sputtered atoms arriving at the substrate surface. On the other hand, the average roughness was increased due to the structural change from amorphous to polycrystalline. However, the electrical and mechanical properties of the films were degraded at temperatures higher than 70 degrees C. This result could be due to the thermal damage incurred by the PET substrate during the sputtering process. (C) 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics