Fabrication of Al and Ga Co‐Doped ZnO Films on Flexible Substrates and Control Charts Monitor Deposition Process

• Published in: Physica status solidi. A, Applications and materials science Vol. 216; no. 11
• Main Authors: Lin, Chuanjin, Li, Xiuyan, Xu, Chunyao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.06.2019
• Subjects: AGZO films; Control charts; Deposition; Elastic recovery; flexible substrate; gray Taguchi method; Magnetron sputtering; Modulus of elasticity; Optoelectronics; Oxygen plasma; Parameters; Plasma etching; Polyethylene terephthalate; Pretreatment; Substrates; Wurtzite; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides
• ISSN: 1862-6300; 1862-6319
• DOI: 10.1002/pssa.201801015

Al and Ga co‐doped zinc oxide (AGZO) films are deposited onto flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Before the AGZO film coating, oxygen plasma etching is used to modify the surface of the PET substrate. The results show that the substrate is very hydrophilic. This study determines the effect of the deposition parameters on the structural, morphological, and optoelectronic performances of AGZO films. Based on the gray Taguchi analysis for the AGZO film coatings show that the electrical resistivity is decreased to 6.30 × 10−3 Ω cm and the optical transmittance is increased to 81.0%. The XRD diffraction and TEM images show that the AGZO films exhibit a hexagonal ZnO wurtzite structure. A comparison of the PET substrates that do or do not undergo plasma pretreatment, shows that the AGZO films coating there is a 4.7% improvement in elastic recovery, a 13.65% improvement in hardness H, a 1.69% improvement in the elastic modulus E, a 12.15% improvement in in H/E, and a 42.06% improvement in H3/E2. Shewhart control charts are used to monitor the deposition processes for the AGZO films. Finding shown that the deposition parameters for the films and process performance are in control and stable. SEM and AFM micrographs of AGZO films, orthogonal array parameters and using gray Taguchi method shows the crystallinity and optoelectronic properties of the AGZO films are significantly improved. Experimental results clearly show that PET substrates that undergo pretreatment by plasma etching and are then deposited with AGZO films have better mechanical properties than substrates that do not undergo this pretreatment.