Structural Chemistry & Crystallography Communication

Abstract

In this study, dependence of optical and electrical properties of FTO thin transparent film on calcination conditions (thermal treatment in an oven in aerobic and anaerobic conditions, specifically, in the presence of either air or N2 gas) were studied. The FTO films were fabricated with low cost home-made spray pyrolysis setup and calcinated at 500 oC for two different environments for thirty minutes. The homogeneous solution of stannous chloride (Sncl2.2H2O) and ammonium fluoride (NH4F) in distilled water was used as a precursor solution. The films’ structural, surface, optical and electrical properties were measured with XRD, SEM, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and 2-Probe measurements, respectively. The FTO films fabricated by spraying the precursor solution for 30 minutes with F to Sn to ratio of 0.85:1.81 and calcined in the presence of air followed by low temperature plasma treatment yielded the lowest electrical resistance of 17 Ωcm-1 and maximum transmittance of ca. 80 %. Also, the effect of calcination environment and plasma treatment on film’s reflectance will also be discussed.