Investigations of highly conducting and transparent Sc doped ZnO films grown by the sol-gel process

Highly transparent and conductive scandium doped zinc oxide (ZnO/Sc) films were prepared on Corning glass 7059 substrates by the sol-gel technique. The influence of scandium concentration (0-1.5 wt. %) and annealing temperature (300-500 °C) on the structural, optical and electrical properties was investigated. The average transmittance was found to be above 89% in the visible region. ZnO/Sc film having 0.5 wt. % of Sc and annealed at 400 °C exhibited a minimum resistivity of 3.52×10-4 ohmocm. The surface morphology of these films examined by SEM and AFM revealed formation of nano rods.