ST0334 Indium Tin Oxide Sputtering Target, ITO Target
High-purity ITO sputtering targets for transparent conductive electrodes and functional coatings.
Available in planar, rotary, bonded, unbonded, and drawing-specific configurations.
- 90/10 wt% Composition
- 4N Oxide Basis
- Planar & Rotary
- Bonded / Unbonded
- CoA Available
Quick Specifications
| Item | Available / Information to Confirm |
|---|---|
Material | Indium Tin Oxide, ITO |
| Composition & Basis | In₂O₃/SnO₂, commonly 90/10 wt%; state whether the ratio is based on wt%, at%, or mol% |
| Purity | 4N / 99.99% oxide-basis standard option; customer-specific impurity limits subject to review |
| Density / Resistivity | Measured bulk or relative density and sintered-target resistivity where required |
| Forms | Disc, rectangular plate, step, bonded assembly, segmented target, rotary target, and custom geometry |
| Dimensions | Standard laboratory sizes and drawing-specific dimensions; distinguish ceramic thickness from total assembly thickness |
| Bonding & Backing | Unbonded or indium-bonded; copper or cathode-specific backing plate |
| Sputtering Mode | RF, DC, pulsed DC, or process-specific operation according to measured target conductivity and equipment |
| Documentation | Order-specific CoA, composition data, dimensional inspection, and agreed density, resistivity, or bonding records |
Product Overview
Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) sputtering targets are sintered ceramic sources used to deposit transparent conductive oxide films. A complete purchase specification should define the In₂O₃/SnO₂ ratio and calculation basis, oxide-basis purity, measured target density or resistivity where required, ceramic dimensions, cathode configuration, and bonding construction.
The common 90/10 composition means 90 wt% In₂O₃ and 10 wt% SnO₂ only when the weight-percent basis is explicitly stated. A 4N purity statement defines the agreed impurity basis; it does not mean the 90/10 ratio is controlled to 99.99% accuracy.
Film sheet resistance, optical transmission, carrier concentration, roughness, and crystallinity depend on both target properties and the deposition process, including oxygen partial pressure, power, working pressure, substrate, film thickness, annealing, and chamber condition.
ITO Target Specification vs Film Performance
| Target Specification | What It Helps Control | What It Does Not Guarantee |
|---|---|---|
| In₂O₃/SnO₂ ratio | Target chemistry and tin content | A specified film sheet resistance or carrier concentration |
| Oxide-basis purity | Agreed impurity limits in the supplied target | Final film purity without chamber and process control |
| Target density | Ceramic integrity, pore structure, erosion, and particle risk | Particle-free deposition under every process condition |
| Target resistivity | Power-mode compatibility and plasma behavior | Deposited-film resistivity |
| Bonded construction | Mechanical support and thermal contact | A universal allowable power level |
| Planar or rotary geometry | Cathode compatibility, erosion format, and production scale | Identical film properties between different systems |
Available ITO Target Configurations
The four core formats below cover most laboratory, replacement, production, and large-area coating inquiries. Each format should be reviewed against the actual cathode and cooling interface.
Standard Circular Planar Targets
Use: Laboratory and production planar magnetrons.
Confirm: Diameter, ceramic thickness, edge condition, density, tolerance, and mounting method.
Rectangular & Step Targets
Use: Inline coaters, custom magnetrons, and geometry-specific replacements.
Confirm: L × W, thickness, step, edge profile, flatness, erosion zone, and backing dimensions.
Indium-Bonded Assemblies
Use: Brittle, thin, large, or higher-load ceramic targets requiring support and thermal contact.
Confirm: Ceramic thickness, bond material, backing plate, holes, PCD, total assembly thickness, power, and cooling.
ITO Rotary Targets
Use: Rotatable cathodes, large-area coating, and longer production campaigns.
Confirm: Tube dimensions, active length, backing tube, end geometry, cooling, and cathode model. See the ITO Rotary Sputtering Target.
Additional Custom Target Options
ITO Sputtering Target Applications
Each application should be reviewed by film role, why ITO is selected, and the specifications required before quotation.
Displays & Touch Panels
Film role: Transparent conductive electrode in display, touch-panel, OLED, sensor, or patterned-device structures.
Why ITO: Commonly selected where a qualified balance of optical transmission, electrical conductivity, patternability, and process compatibility is required.
Confirm: Sheet resistance, transmission wavelength range, film thickness, substrate, maximum process temperature, patterning method, and surface requirement.
Photovoltaic Contacts
Film role: Transparent front contact, recombination layer, or conductive interlayer in silicon, heterojunction, tandem, or thin-film photovoltaic structures.
Why ITO: Used where optical transmission, conductivity, interface compatibility, and a defined low- or medium-temperature process window must be balanced.
Confirm: Cell architecture, underlying layers, plasma-damage limit, thickness, wavelength range, oxygen condition, deposition mode, and annealing.
LEDs & Optoelectronic Devices
Film role: Transparent current-spreading layer or conductive contact in LEDs, photodetectors, emitters, and optoelectronic devices.
Why ITO: Selected where current spreading and optical transmission are required in the same layer and the contact stack has been qualified for ITO.
Confirm: Device structure, contact role, required resistance, transmission range, thickness, surface roughness, substrate temperature, and annealing.
Smart Windows & Functional Glass
Film role: Transparent electrode, heater, antistatic layer, or conductive component in electrochromic and optical glass stacks.
Why ITO: Suited to transparent conductive functions where sheet resistance, optical neutrality, durability, and large-area uniformity are defined together.
Confirm: Coated area, planar or rotary cathode, sheet resistance, optical range, durability test, glass size, line dimensions, and production rate.
Explore TFM’s Thin-Film Applications for additional device and coating examples.
How to Select an ITO Sputtering Target
Target chemistry, density, resistivity, geometry, bond, cathode, power, and cooling should be reviewed as one deposition system.
| Selection Factor | What to Confirm | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Composition Ratio | In₂O₃/SnO₂ ratio | Tin content influences target conductivity, plasma behavior, and deposited-film properties. |
| Ratio Basis | wt%, at%, or mol% | “90/10” is incomplete unless the calculation basis is clearly stated. |
| Purity | 4N oxide basis or customer-specific impurity limits | Purity defines the agreed impurity level and must be specified separately from the In₂O₃/SnO₂ ratio. |
| Target Density | Measured bulk density, relative density, or minimum acceptance value | Porosity may affect ceramic strength, particle generation, arcing, erosion behavior, and bonding reliability. |
| Target Resistivity | Measured sintered-target resistivity and measurement method, where required | Target resistivity affects power-supply selection, ignition behavior, and plasma compatibility; it does not define deposited-film resistivity. |
| Geometry & Cathode | Planar, rectangular, step, segmented, bonded, or rotary geometry; cathode model, erosion zone, active length, and installed height | The target must match the source geometry, mounting interface, cooling design, erosion profile, and production scale. |
| Bonding & Assembly | Bond material, backing-plate material and dimensions, holes, PCD, ceramic thickness, and total assembly thickness | Bonding affects mechanical support, thermal contact, fit, stress accommodation, and allowable operating conditions. |
| Power & Cooling | Maximum power, ramp rate, duty cycle, continuous run time, cooling-water conditions, and temperature limits | These factors determine thermal stability, cracking risk, bond performance, and practical operating limits. |
| Film Objectives | Film function, thickness, sheet resistance, transmission wavelength range, roughness, substrate, process temperature, and annealing | Film performance depends on both target properties and the actual deposition process and must be qualified on the customer’s system. |
Write the composition in a complete form, such as In₂O₃/SnO₂ = 90/10 wt%. Confirm the oxide-basis purity separately. Density and target resistivity should be specified as measured target properties where they are required for acceptance. Neither value should be replaced by a desired film sheet resistance.
Choose planar construction for planar magnetrons and rotary construction only for rotatable cathodes. Confirm the ceramic or tube dimensions, active length, end geometry, backing tube or plate, installed height, cooling interface, and erosion zone. A qualified planar process should not be assumed to transfer directly to a rotary system.
For bonded targets, state the ceramic thickness, bond material, backing-plate thickness, hole pattern, PCD, and total
assembly limit separately. Allowable power depends on density, ceramic thickness, bond coverage, backing design, cooling-water contact, ramp rate, oxygen process, erosion profile, and run time.
Documented ITO Target Example
The following values illustrate one order-specific TFM CoA. They describe a documented batch and should not be treated as universal values for every composition, size, or assembly.
| Item | Documented Example |
|---|---|
| Product | Indium Tin Oxide Sputtering Target |
| Composition | 90 wt% In₂O₃ / 10 wt% SnO₂ |
| Purity | 99.99% / 4N, oxide basis |
| Dimensions | Ø76.2 × 1.59 mm |
| Bonding | Indium-bonded to 1.59 mm Cu backing plate |
| Form | Dense ceramic, bonded |
| Crystal Structure | Cubic bixbyite, In₂O₃ structure with Sn doping |
| Theoretical Density Reference | Approximately 7.1 g/cm³ |
| Sintered-Target Resistivity | < 5.0 × 10⁻⁴ Ω·cm |
| Reported Trace Elements | Pb, Fe, Si, Al, Zn, and Cu below the documented limits |
ITO vs Related Transparent Conductive Materials
These materials are not direct substitutes. Selection should follow the required film function, substrate, deposition temperature, process window, environmental stability, and device qualification.
| Material | Film & Best Suited For | When to Choose | Specifications to Confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| ITO | Transparent conductive electrodes for displays, photovoltaics, LEDs, sensors, and functional glass. | Choose when a qualified balance of transmission, conductivity, patternability, and established process compatibility is required. | In₂O₃/SnO₂ ratio and basis; purity; density; target resistivity; dimensions; bonding; process window. |
| IZO | Transparent conductive oxide for lower-temperature or flexible-device development. | Evaluate for polymer or temperature-sensitive substrates, but confirm composition, film stability, and process qualification; it is not a drop-in replacement for ITO. | In₂O₃/ZnO ratio; purity; density; resistivity; substrate temperature; film stability; bonding. |
| AZO | Indium-free transparent conductive oxide for photovoltaics, glass, and alternative TCO research. | Choose when reducing indium use is important and differences in conductivity, moisture or chemical stability, and process window can be accepted and qualified. | ZnO/Al₂O₃ ratio and basis; purity; density; resistivity; environmental stability; bonding. |
| FTO | Fluorine-doped tin oxide conductor for durable glass and suitable higher-temperature process routes. | Choose for glass-based systems where thermal or chemical durability is prioritized; do not treat it as a direct substitute for low-temperature polymer or display processes. | Fluorine content; SnO₂ purity; density; sputtering mode; substrate temperature; coating durability. |
| IGZO | Oxide-semiconductor active layer for TFT backplanes, display electronics, and sensor channels. | Choose for semiconductor-channel behavior, not merely because it is another indium-containing oxide used in displays. | In/Ga/Zn ratio and basis; oxygen content; density; resistivity; mobility target; device architecture. |
Manufacturing, Inspection & Documentation
Custom Manufacturing
- Circular and rectangular ceramic targets
- Step, segmented, and rotary configurations
- Drawing-specific ceramic thickness and total assembly thickness
- Custom copper or cathode-specific backing plates
- Replacement assemblies produced to an approved drawing
Inspection Support
- Ceramic diameter, thickness, flatness, and edge condition
- Backing-plate diameter, thickness, holes, and PCD
- Total bonded-assembly thickness
- Target density and resistivity, when specified in the order
- Bond coverage or bonded-assembly inspection, where agreed
- Inspection against the approved drawing and acceptance criteria
Documentation & Packaging
- Order-specific Certificate of Analysis
- Dimensional inspection report
- Composition and impurity data
- Density or target-resistivity report, when specified in the order
- Bonding or assembly record, where agreed
- Lot identification and drawing-revision traceability
- Protected ceramic face, edge cushioning, and sealed packaging
Learn more about TFM’s Manufacturing Capabilities and Service & Support.
RFQ Checklist: What to Provide
| RFQ Field | Example / Information to Provide |
|---|---|
| Composition & Basis | In₂O₃/SnO₂ = 90/10 wt% or another clearly defined ratio and basis |
| Purity | 4N / 99.99% oxide basis or customer-specific impurity limits |
| Density / Target Resistivity | Measured value, minimum acceptance criterion, or report requirement |
| Shape & Ceramic Dimensions | Disc, rectangle, step, bonded, or rotary; e.g., Ø76.2 × 3.18 mm ceramic |
| Quantity | Required pieces or complete assemblies |
| Cathode / Rotary Source | Manufacturer, model, erosion zone, active length, end geometry, or installed height |
| Bonding & Backing Plate | Unbonded or bonded; material, dimensions, holes, PCD, cooling features, and total assembly thickness |
| Power Mode & Process Gas | RF, DC, or pulsed DC; Ar, Ar/O₂, or another gas mixture |
| Operating Conditions | Maximum power, ramp rate, duty cycle, run time, and cooling |
| Film Role & Objectives | Electrode or device layer; thickness, sheet resistance, transmission range, roughness, and process temperature |
| Documentation | CoA, dimensional inspection report, composition or impurity data, density or resistivity report, bonding record, or customer-specific format |
| Drawing & Delivery | PDF, STEP, DWG, sketch, or current assembly photograph; delivery city, postal code, and country |
Minimum information required: Composition and ratio basis, purity, target dimensions, quantity, bonded or unbonded construction, cathode or rotary-source model, and a drawing or current assembly photograph.
Example RFQ
ITO sputtering target, In₂O₃/SnO₂ = 90/10 wt%, 4N oxide-basis purity, Ø76.2 × 3.18 mm ceramic, indium-bonded to Ø76.2 × 3.18 mm copper backing plate, total thickness 6.35 mm maximum, quantity 2 pcs. Target resistivity, CoA, and dimensional inspection report required. Please quote price, lead time, and shipping.
ITO Target FAQ
Related Products and Resources
Request an ITO Target Quote
Please provide the composition and ratio basis, purity, dimensions, density or resistivity requirement, bonded or unbonded construction, backing-plate drawing, cathode model, intended film, process conditions, required documentation, and delivery location.