Sol-gel processing of highly transparent conducting Cd₂SnO₄ thin films

¹ King Khalid University, Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, 61413 Abha, Saudi Arabia
² Photovoltaic Laboratory Research and Technology Center of Energy Borj-Cedria Science and Technology Park, BP 95, 2050 Hammem-Lif, Tunisia
³ Institut Supérieur des Sciences Appliquées et Technologie, Mahdia, Université de Monastir, 5019 Monastir, Tunisia

^a belhadjtahar2001@yahoo.com

Received: 25 November 2014
Revised: 29 January 2015
Accepted: 9 February 2015
Published online: 18 March 2015

Abstract

Polycrystalline thin films of cadmium stannate (Cd₂SnO₄) (CTO) were coated on corning glass substrates by sol-gel method. The films were fired at different temperatures and annealed in inert ambient (N₂) at 680°C. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of dip-coated cadmium-tin-oxide (CTO) thin films are discussed. CTO layers with a Hall mobility of 30 cm²/Vs and a carrier density of 1.4 × 10²¹ cm⁻³ resulting in a resistivity of 5 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm have been deposited. Dip-coating conditions must be carefully monitored to produce consistent films. The high electronic conductivity is due to two effective mechanisms of n-type doping: (i) stoichiometric deviation and (ii) self-doping.