We report the fabrication and characterization of zinc‐indium‐oxide films with similar electrical conductivity and better transparency in both the visible and infrared compared with indium–tin–oxide, a widely used transparent conductor in many technological applications. Dramatically superior transmission properties in the 1–1.5 &mgr;m range in particular make zinc–indium–oxide attractive for use in infrared devices, where transparent electrodes are required. Resisitivities as low as 400 &mgr;&OHgr; cm result from doping with small quantities of Sn; Al, Ga, and Ge are also effective dopants. Deposition on glass and quartz substrates as amorphous films by pulsed laser deposition and dc reactive sputtering is described. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.