Fabrication of transparent semiconducting indium zinc tin oxide thin films and its wet chemical etching characteristics in hydrochloric acid

We have fabricated the transparent semiconducting indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO) thin films on polymeric substrates at room temperature by RF-magnetron sputtering method, and investigated their wet chemical etching behavior in HCl solution. The study has revealed that the control of O₂ flow rate during deposition attribute to the variation of resistivity for IZTO films, resulting in the conductor-semiconductor conductivity transition. The increasing etchant molarity and temperature of etching solution lead to the increase in etching rate of IZTO films according to the chemical dissolution reaction. As a result, the IZTO active channel is defined successfully, suggesting sufficient possibility for the application to flexible transparent thin film transistors.