The use of flash lamp annealing as a low-temperature alternative or supplement to thermal annealing is investigated. Flash lamp annealing and thermal annealing were conducted on 100 nm thick indium tin oxide (ITO) films deposited on glass to compare the films' properties under different annealing methods. The ITO samples had an initial sheet resistance on average of 50 Ω/sq. After flash lamp annealing only the sheet resistance was reduced to 33 Ω/sq, while by thermal annealing at 210°C for 30 minutes a sheet resistance of 29 Ω/sq was achieved. Using a combination of flash lamp annealing and thermal annealing at 155°C for 5 minutes a sheet resistance of 29 Ω/sq was achieved. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that flash lamp annealing can be used to crystallize ITO. Flash lamp annealing allows for the low-temperature crystallization of ITO on a time scale of seconds. Through electrical and optical characterization, it was determined that flash lamp annealing can achieve similar electrical and optical properties as thermal annealing. Flash lamp offers a method of low-temperature annealing which is particularly suitable for temperature-sensitive substrates.
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