Transparent conductive cadmium indate thin films prepared by dc magnetron sputtering

Transparent conducting cadmium indate films were deposited at different oxygen partial pressures in the range from 1×10−4 to 5×10−3 mbar onto glass substrates maintained at a temperature of 523 K by dc magnetron sputtering from a cadmium–indium alloy target at a sputtering pressure of 4×10−2 mbar. The films were characterised by studying the influence of oxygen partial pressure on the structural, electrical and optical properties. Cadmium indate films formed at an oxygen partial pressure of 5×10−4 mbar were polycrystalline with cubic spinel structure, low electrical resistivity of 1.2×10−3 Ω cm, high optical transmittance of 87% in the visible region, optical band gap of 3.23 eV and a figure of merit of 1.8×10−3 Ω−1.