TiO2-Coated Transparent Conductive Oxide (SnO2:F) Films Prepared by Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition with High Durability against Atomic Hydrogen

The durability of textured transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin films against atomic hydrogen was investigated. An ultrathin TiO2 layer of 2 nm thickness was deposited on textured fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO2:F) films, successively by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (AP-CVD). TCO films with a TiO2 layer showed a higher optical transmittance and a lower resistivity after exposure to atomic hydrogen excited by very high frequency (VHF) plasma, while TCO films without a TiO2 layer showed a lower optical transmittance and a higher resistivity after the exposure. These TCO films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) before and after the exposure to atomic hydrogen.