Comparison of some physical properties for SnO2, SnO2: F and SnO2: Sb films deposited on glass substrates

Thin films of undoped, 20 wt. % flourine-doped and 2 wt. % antimony-doped tin oxide on glass substrates at 410 (+/- 5) degrees C were deposited by spray pyrolysis technique. The effect of 20 wt. % fluorine(F) and 2 wt. % antimony(Sb) doping on the structural, electrical and optical properties of tin oxide thin films were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that undoped and Sb-doped films were prefentially oriented along the (110) direction, which changed to (200) direction for F-doped film. The films were found to be of cassiterite type with a tetragonal rutile structure, F and Sb doping increased the crystallinity. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis showed that (RMS) roughness of 22.52 nm for undoped film has been slightly reduced to 15.52 nm and 15.56 nm for F and Sb doping fims, respectively and the surfaces of all the films to be made of nanocrystalline particles. The electrical properties of the films were measured employing the van der Pauw configuration. The electrical studies revealed that the films to be n-type electrical conductivitiy, 20 wt. % F and 2 wt. % Sb doping increased electrical conductivity of the films. From the optical studies, it was found that the transmittance of undoped film increased from 52.46 % to a maximum 77.39 % and 69.56 % for 20 wt. % F-doped and 2 wt. % Sb-doped film, respectively.