Article ID: MT-M2025077
The present study examines the influence of sputtering power from 90 W to 110 W on the structural, morphological, optical, electrical, and thermoelectric characteristics of Indium-doped ZnO thin films that are produced on glass substrates via radio frequency-magnetron reactive sputtering. The In-doped ZnO thin films show a highly oriented hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferential development along the (002) plane after being doped with 2 at.% In. The surface morphology of In-doped ZnO thin films becomes rougher with increased sputtering power, which correlates with improved crystallinity. UV-Vis spectroscopy demonstrates a high average transmittance (> 80%) within the visible spectrum and a variable optical band gap ranging from 3.38 to 3.44 eV. Hall measurements indicate increased carrier concentrations (>1021 cm−3), enhanced electron mobility (up to 6.22 cm2/V·s), and minimal resistance (~10−4 Ω·cm). The Seebeck coefficient of In-doped ZnO thin films increases with sputtering power, achieving 48.04 µV/K, while the power factor maximizes at 261.07 µW·m−1·K−2. These findings highlight the potential of In-doped ZnO thin films for application in transparent electronics and thermoelectric devices.