Abstract: Transparent conducting oxide film of molybdenum-doped zinc oxide (MZO) with high transparency and relatively low resistivity was prepared by RF (radio frequency) magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the films deposited under different Ar pressure were investigated. XRD (X-ray diffraction) patterns show that the nature of the films is polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation along the c-axis. The resistivity increases as Ar pressure increases. The lowest resistivity achieved is 9.2×10-4 Ω•cm for the samples deposited at Ar pressure of 0.6 Pa with a Hall mobility of 30 cm2•V-1•s-1 and a carrier concentration of 2.3×1020 cm-3. The average transmittance in the visible range exceeds 88% for all the samples. The optical band gap decreases from 3.27 to 3.15 eV with increasing Ar pressure from 0.6 to 3.0 Pa.

Key words: zinc oxide, magnetron sputtering, Ar pressure