Frequency-Dependent Complex Conductivities and Dielectric Responses of Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films from the Visible to the Far-Infrared

Abstract

Transparent and conducting indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films form an integral part for various optoelectronic devices. In this paper, we report the frequency-dependent complex conductivities and dielectric responses of several sputtered ITO thin films with thicknesses in the range of 189-962 nm by using terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS), optical reflectance spectroscopy, and electrical measurements. The plasma frequencies are verified to be from 1590 to 1930 rad.THz, while the scattering times are in the range 6-7 fs based on the Drude free-electron model. The mobilities of the above ITO thin films are calculated to be 32.7-34.2 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), whereas the carrier concentrations lie in the range 2.79-4.10 x 10(20) cm(-3). The electrical properties derived from the THz-TDS technique agree well with those determined by Hall measurement. Parameters for the complex dielectric function suitable for ITO in the range 0.2-2 and 4-450 THz are also determined.