Method for forming a transparent conductive ITO film

• US 5,538,905 A
• Filed: 10/20/1993
• Issued: 07/23/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Nishioka, Yukiya, Sakurai, Takehisa, Katayama, Mikio, Shimada, Yoshinori, Nakata, Yukinobu, Negoto, Hidenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Fourson, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): MULPURI, SAVITRI
• Application Number:
  US08/139,915
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 437/181, 437/16, 437/24, 427/639, 427/529, 427/523, 204/192.29
• US Class Current: 438/609
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/086 of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/5833 Ion beam bombardment
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/5853 Oxidation
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13439 characterised by their electrical, optical, physical properties; materials therefor; method of making
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1884 Manufacture of transparent electrodes, e.g. TCO, ITO
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

A method for forming a transparent conductive film includes the steps of: forming an ITO film on a substrate by sputtering a target including oxygen atoms, indium atoms, and tin atoms under an inert gas atmosphere; patterning the ITO film by selectively removing a prescribed portion of the ITO film using an etching method; and doping the patterned ITO film with oxygen using an ion shower doping method, thereby forming the transparent conductive film from the ITO film.

Claims

1. A method for forming a transparent conductive film, comprising the steps of:

forming an ITO film on a substrate by sputtering a target under an inert gas atmosphere, said target including oxygen atoms, indium atoms, and tin atoms, said ITO film being oxygen-deficient;

patterning said ITO film by selectively removing a portion of said ITO film using an etching method;

doping said patterned ITO film with oxygen ions using an ion shower doping method; and

heating said patterned and doped ITO film, thereby forming said transparent conductive film from said patterned ITO film.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said target containing about 10 wt % of tin oxide.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein, said step for forming said ITO film comprises a step for creating said inert gas atmosphere by supplying an argon gas alone to a vacuum vessel having an inner pressure of 3.0×

10^-4 Pa or less.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein, said step for forming said ITO film comprises a step for supplying said argon gas having a pressure of 0.24 Pa to said vacuum vessel.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein, at said step for doping said patterned ITO film with said oxygen, a dose amount of said oxygen is from 10¹⁶ to 10¹⁷ ions/cm².

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein, at said step for patterning said ITO film, said portion of said ITO film is removed by using a wet etching method.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein, said step for patterning said ITO film comprises a step for forming a resist film provided with an opening which defines said portion of said ITO film on said ITO film, a step for selectively removing said portion of said ITO film which is exposed through said opening of said resist film, and a step for removing said resist film.