Hydrogen plasma degradation of SnO₂:F films prepared by the APCVD method

Degradation of textured SnO₂:F films in glow-discharge hydrogen plasmas at different temperatures and for different times of exposure has been investigated. After exposure, measurement of transmittance and reflectance spectra, scanning electron micrograph observation and Auger analysis have been carried out to determine the extent of degradation. It has been found that the NIR reflectance spectra are sensitive to minute superficial changes, which are not reflected in the visible transmittance spectra and can be used to obtain plasma durability thresholds in textured SnO₂:F films. The haze value, measured by a haze meter may not necessarily be an indication of the true surface morphology of a film and its quality.