Characterization of Pure and Antimony Doped SnO2 Thin Films Prepared by the Sol-Gel Technique

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Pure and antimony doped SnO2 thin films have been prepared by the sol-gel dip coating technique on glass substrate using starting material SnCl2.2H2O as a host and SbCl3 as a dopant. Our experimental results revealed that, the quality of the coated films on the glass depends on process parameters. The effect of annealing temperature, dipping numbers and the dopant concentration on the structural and electrical properties were investigated. Duration of coating and dragging speed for each sample were 3 minutes and 90cm/min respectively. The films Characterization was carried out by X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD results showed the amorphous structure of deposited sample at 350°C. Beyond this temperature (350°C), the preferred plane with a random textured shifts to (101). By addition of 25g/lit antimony at 550°C, the preferred plane shifts to (200). The electrical properties were determined by four point probes technique. Addition of 25g/lit antimony at 550°C was reduced the resistivity of the SnO2 films to 0.94´10-4 (Wcm).