Preparation and characterization of Sb-doped SnO2 films with controlled stoichiometry from polymeric precursors Original Research Article

A polymeric precursor method was employed in order to obtain Sb/SnO2 thin films with well-controlled stoichiometry. The preparative process was studied by TGA–DTA of the precursor solutions. The EDX results show good agreement between the concentration in the precursor solutions and the Sb/Sn ratio in the films. XRD patterns present only the SnO2 cassiterite-type structure, without the presence of an Sb oxide, even at higher Sb concentrations. The increase in the amount of Sb leads to a decrease in SnO2 crystallinity. The film surface was analyzed by SEM, showing a cracked-mud type structure with the number of cracks depending on the calcination temperature and the Sb concentration.