ZnO-In2O3-SnO2 THIN FILM TRANSPARENT HEATERS: TUNABLE ELECTROTHERMAL PROPERTIES THROUGH SUBSTRATE TEMPERATURE AND POSTGROWTH ANNEALING

Year 2025, Volume: 13 Issue: 1, 25 - 43, 01.03.2025

Hasan Akyıldız , Hilal Aybike Can , Burak Kıvrak , Tayfur Ozturk

https://doi.org/10.36306/konjes.1573794

Abstract

Amorphous thin films of ZnO-In2O3-SnO2 (a-ZITO) were manufactured using magnetron sputtering technique for the applications of thin film transparent heaters (TFTHs). For this purpose, a custom-made 3” sputtering target was prepared with a specific composition in terms of the atomic percentages (at.%) of Zn, In, and Sn cations. The impact of varying substrate temperatures on the characteristics of the samples investigated by depositing the films on glass substrates maintained at room temperature, 150 °C, and 250 °C. To improve the optical and electrical properties, post-growth annealing was carried out under forming gas atmosphere at 400 °C. Structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the samples were thoroughly examined. Electrothermal characterization was performed on samples at room temperature and -40 °C to evaluate response time, saturation temperature, thermal homogeneity, stability, recyclability, thermal resistance, and the defogging/deicing capability of the produced TFTHs. The films produced at 150 °C demonstrated an exceptional electrothermal response, with the thermal resistance calculated to be 181.7 °C·cm²/W under 12 V input. With a measured power density of 0.4635 Watt/cm², this heater was able to melt all ice and evaporate water droplets on the surface within 173 s, indicating a promising performance for commercial defogging/deicing applications.

Keywords

ZnO, In2O3, SnO2, Transparent Heater, Sputtering, Thin Film, Postgrowth Annealing

Ethical Statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Supporting Institution

TÜBİTAK

Project Number

118M013

Thanks

This study was produced from the MSc thesis of Hilal Aybike CAN and supported financially by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK; Project Number: 118M013), for which the authors are thankful.

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