Fabrication of tin dioxide on silicon doxide substrate using Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc (FCVA) technique

• Main Author: Ji, Yun
• Other Authors: Yu Siu Fung
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Materials::Microelectronics and semiconductor materials
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/17267
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Tin dioxide has been reported to be a direct band gap semiconductor with broad applications. Transparent polycrystalline tin dioxide (SnO2) film grown using FCVA technique has an energy band gap of 3.59eV, uniform thickness, high mechanical strength and outstanding transparency. These unique properties allow it to be utilized in fabricating light emitting devices (LED). The Filtered Cathodic Vacuum Arc (FCVA) technique can eliminate the problem of large particle contamination in thin film deposition process. The application of a 90 degree off-plane magnetic filter allows only charged ions to pass through and reach the substrate. Neutral atoms and large particles are not affected by the electromagnetic field and hence filtered out from the ion plasma. Therefore, the deposited thin film has a better quality. This project studies the growth of SnO2 film on glass substrate using FCVA technique. The quality of the deposited film, including conductivity, transmittance, impurity level, lattice structure, film thickness, etc, is determined by a series of process parameters, including the oxygen gas flow, filter bias current, substrate temperature, and annealing time and temperature. This project aims to find out the effects of varying the process parameters on the deposited film, and find out the optimal parameter combination. The surface morphology of the deposited film is observed using Scanning electron microscopy, and the lattice structure is confirmed with X-Ray diffraction. The optical property is studied through photoluminescence measurement.