Effect of deflection on the mechanical and optoelectronic properties of indium tin oxide films deposited on polyethylene terephthalate substrates by pulse magnetron sputtering

[[abstract]]In this research, we studied the effect of deflection on the characteristics of an indium tin oxide (ITO) film deposited on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate flexible substrate by pulse magnetron sputtering. The experimental results show that an increase in the ITO film thickness leads to an increase in the residual stress and a decrease in the adhesion. Under power of 80 W, pulse frequency of 10 kHz, pulse reverse time of 2 μs, and ITO film thickness of 100 nm, thin film with an optimized resistivity of 4.5×10−4 Ω-cm, visible light transmittance of more than 84%, and adhesion of class 5B/0 as per the ASTM/ISO standards. Micro-cracking was observed on the ITO film surface when the film thickness was greater than 100 nm and when the deflection was carried out for 100 times. Micro-cracking led to an increase in the residual stress and deterioration in the adhesion properties