Electrical and Optical Properties of Germanium-Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films

Abstract

Germanium-doped zinc oxide thin films with Ge content of 0∼8.1 at% were deposited by an RF magnetron sputtering. The electrical and optical properties of the films were investigated. The Ge doping caused the reduction of resistivity of the films, and at about 3% of the Ge content showed the minimum resistivity of about 2 × 10−3 Ωcm. With high content of Ge, however, the crystalline structure changed and the resistivity of the film increased.