Stage-by-stage formation of superficial nanostructures in ITO films reduced by H2-GD at low temperature (100 °C) for applications on plastic substrates

• Published in: Nanotechnology Vol. 31; no. 37
• Main Authors: Cosme, I, Vázquez-Y-Parraguirre, S, Malik, O, Carlos, N, Mansurova, S, Baldovino-Pantaleón, O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 11.09.2020
• Subjects: low-temperature; nanostructures; plasma; plastic substrate; surface
• ISSN: 0957-4484; 1361-6528
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ab991e

The formation of superficial nanostructures (SNs) in reduced indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films by H2-Glow discharge (GD) at a low reduction temperature (Tr = 100 °C) was investigated. Sputtered ITO films deposited at low (Td = 100 °C) and high (Td = 300 °C) temperatures were reduced using this low-temperature process. Scanning electron and atomic force microscopy were applied to study the evolution of the nanostructural features and three stages were identified: emerging/densification, coalescence, and depletion stages. The structural characteristics of the SNs were characterized by grazing incidence and conventional θ/2θ x-ray diffractions showing that at Tr = 100 °C, the reduction process was limited to the surface region in which the ion bombardment had influence. The mean diameter, , of the SNs in ITO deposited on the glass substrate was controlled from ∼10-90 nm and the SN densities, d, were obtained from ∼109-1011 SNs cm−2. Finally, the superficial nanostructures were successfully formed in ITO films deposited on flexible polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrates. It was demonstrated that, on these substrates, is possible to obtain a uniform distribution in the size and density of the SNs, with = 9.5-20.7 nm and d = 2.66 × 1011-4.20 × 1010 SNs cm−2.