Green synthesis of ITO nanoparticles using Carica papaya seed extract: impact of annealing temperature on microstructural and electrical properties of ITO thin films for sensor applications

This paper reports the synthesis of indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles and the effect of annealing temperature on the microstructural and electrical properties of ITO thin films. The synthesized ITO (90:10) nanoparticles are deposited at 29°C using E beam evaporation to form ITO thin films and annealed at 200, 400 and 500°C. The microstructural properties are investigated using XRD and AFM , and electrical properties such as temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and gauge factor are investigated using four-probe and four-point beam bending method, respectively. The investigations results reveal an increase in grain size, carrier concentration and gauge factor with an increase in the annealing temperature. The absolute value of TCR is constant at high temperatures for the film annealed at 500°C. The ITO thin film annealed at 500°C shows improved morphological and electrical properties and can be used for the development of sensors operating at high temperature