Papers by Keyword: Transparent Conducting Oxide (TCO)

Abstract: Transparent conducting Al doped ZnO films have been deposited by dc magnetron sputtering on glass and polymer substrates at room temperature. Depositions have been carried out from an AZOY (contains a small amount of Y2O3 in addition to Al2O3 and ZnO) target under different conditions such as working pressure, substrate bias voltage and oxygen flow rate. The crystallinity of the Al doped ZnO films has been improved by using low-energy-ion bombardment. Likewise, the use of either the rotation or the static mode of the substrate during deposition influences the crystallinity and therefore the optical parameters and the electrical resistance of the films. Increasing the thickness of the films reduces the threshold strain at which the films can be deformed without provoking significant changes on their electrical properties.

Abstract: Thin film coatings of fluorine doped tin oxide on glass were first produced in the 1940’s as part of the World War II effort. Generically known as TCO (Transparent Conductive Oxide) Coatings, the primary use was for antifogging coatings for aircraft transparencies using an electrical current to heat the glass assembly. Nearly 60 years later, these coatings are still used in cockpit glazings. Although the first generation coatings were applied using spray pyrolysis on heated glass panes, by 1990 these coatings were being applied directly on the float glass ribbon during the primary glass manufacturing operation, using Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (APCVD). As part of a color suppressed multi-layer structure, these coatings met the aesthetic and performance criteria for architectural low E glazings, and spawned new applications in electrochromic devices, heated freezer doors, radiant glass heaters, EMI/RFI Shielding, and the largest growing segment in glass – thin film photovoltaic panels. In this paper we discuss the characteristics of the on-line production, the performance characteristics of the coatings, the end use requirements, and the massive infrastructure in place worldwide to support the volume requirements. We compare the properties of SnO2:F to other emerging TCO materials such as zinc oxide.

Abstract: Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films were grown on Corning 1737 glass by RF Magnetron Sputtering under premixed hydrogen-argon (H2/Ar) sputtering gas. It is found that the introduction of various H2 concentrations during sputtering deposition altered the properties of Al-doped ZnO films. The presence of H2 during AZO growth at low deposition temperature leads to the growth of a-axis preferential orientation crystal whereas c-axis preferential orientation occurred only at higher deposition temperature. Highly oriented c-axis (002) crystal has been successfully grown under 3% H2 concentration at 200°C deposition temperature. Film’s resistivity is appeared to be a function of H2 concentration. Additional H2 concentration in sputtering gas increased of film’s transmittance up to 85% at visible-near infra red spectra while it caused the Burstein-Moss shift toward the blue region at 350 nm wavelength.

Abstract: In this work we studied the influence of the power density of hydrogen plasma on electrical and optical properties (Hall mobility, free carrier concentration, sheet resistance, optical transmittance and a.c. impedance) of indium zinc oxide films, aiming to determine their chemical stability. This is an important factor for the optimization of amorphous/nanocrystalline p-i-n hydrogenated silicon (a/nc-Si:H) solar cells, since they should remain chemically highly stable during the p layer deposition. To perform this work the transparent conductive oxide was exposed to hydrogen plasma at substrate temperature of 473 K, 87 Pa of pressure and 20 sccm of hydrogen flow. The results achieved show that IZO films were reduced for all plasma conditions used, which leads mainly to a decrease on films transmittance. For the lowest power density used in the first minute of plasma exposition the transmittance of the IZO films decreases about 29%.

Abstract: Nanostructured transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films such as tin doped indium oxide (ITO), antimony doped tin oxide (ATO), tin doped cadmium oxide (CTO) were deposited on suprasil grade pure silica glass from their respective precursors with wide variation of dopant concentration, 10, 30, 50, 70 at. % and their optical properties have been studied. The films were obtained by thermal curing (350 - 500°C) in air. If the cluster size be decreased to nanoscale then blue shift of bulk band gap occurs due to the quantum confinement effect of the semiconducting TCO materials. Free carrier concentration of ITO and ATO films were in the order of 1019 cc-1. The Moss-Burstein shift occurred in each case. The photoluminescence (PL) behaviour of the nanostructured materials revealed emissions for the HOMO-LUMO excitonic transitions. This was identified by selecting the excitation energy according to the photoluminescence excitonic transitions (PLE).