Effect of the Cu Bottom Layer on the Properties of Ga Doped ZnO Thin Films

Ga doped ZnO (GZO)/copper (Cu) bi-layered film was deposited on glass substrate by RF and DC magnetron sputtering and then the effect of the Cu bottom layer on the optical, electrical and structural properties of GZO films were considered. As-deposited 100 nm thick GZO films had an optical transmittance of 82% in the visible wavelength region and a sheet resistance of 4139 ${\Omega}/{\Box}$, while the GZO/Cu film had optical and electrical properties that were influenced by the Cu bottom layer. GZO films with 5 nm thick Cu film show the lower sheet resistance of 268 ${\Omega}/{\Box}$ and an optical transmittance of 65% due to increased optical absorption by the Cu metallic bottom layer. Based on the figure of merit, it can be concluded that the thin Cu bottom layer effectively increases the performance of GZO films as a transparent and conducting electrode without intentional substrate heating or a post deposition annealing process.