Transparent conducting ZnO-Based thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering of a ZnO:Ga–C composite target

We have studied the structure, electrical, and optical properties of thin transparent conducting films based on gallium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Ga), which were deposited by magnetron sputtering of a ZnO:Ga–C composite target. The ion-bombardment-induced interaction of ZnO with carbon in a thin surface layer of the target leads to an increase in the excess zinc content in the reagent flow. The formation of transparent conducting ZnO:Ga films at a substrate temperature above 100$^\circ$C in the presence of excess zinc near the growth surface leads to improvement in the structure and conductivity of films without decreasing their transmission in the visible spectral range.