The enhanced conductivity and stability of AZO thin films with a TiO2 buffer layer

Aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were substitutes of the SnO₂:F films on soda lime glass substrate in the amorphous thin-film solar cells due to good properties and low cost. In order to improve properties of AZO films, the TiO₂ buffer layer had been introduced. AZO films with and without TiO₂ buffer layer were deposited on soda lime glass substrates by r.f. magnetron sputtering. Subsequently, one group samples were annealed in vacuum (0.1 Pa) at 500 °C for 120 s using the RTA system, and the influence of TiO₂ thickness on the properties of AZO films had been discussed. The XRD measurement results showed that all the films had a preferentially oriented (0 0 2) peak, and the intensity of (0 0 2) peak had been enhanced for the AZO films with TiO₂ buffer layer. The resistivity of TiO₂ (3.0 nm)/AZO double-layer film is 4.76×10⁻⁴ Ω cm with the maximum figure merit of 1.92×10⁻² Ω⁻¹, and the resistivity has a remarkable 28.7% decrease comparing with that of the single AZO film. The carrier scattering mechanism of TiO₂ (3.0 nm)/AZO double-layer film had been described by Hall measurement in different temperatures. The average transmittance of all the films exceeded 92% in the visible spectrum. Another group samples were heat treated in the quartz tube in air atmosphere, and the effect of TiO₂ thickness on thermal stability of AZO films had been discussed.     

Effect of buffer layer on thermochromic performances of VO2 films fabricated by magnetron sputtering

As a well-developed industrial fabricating method, magnetron sputtering technique has its distinct advantages for the large-scale production. In order to investigate the effect of buffer layer on the formation and thermochromic performances of VO₂ films, using RF magnetron sputtering method, we fabricated three kinds of buffer layers SiO₂, TiO₂ and SnO₂ on soda lime float-glass. Then according to the reactive DC magnetron sputtering method, VO₂ films were deposited. Due to the restriction of heat treatment temperature when using soda lime float-glass as substrates, dense rutile phase TiO₂ cannot be formed, leading to the formation of vanadium oxide compounds containing Na ions. When using SnO₂ as buffer layer, we found that relatively high pure VO₂ can be deposited more easily. In addition, compared with the effect of SiO₂ buffer layer, we observed an enhanced visible transparency, a decreased infrared emissivity, which should be mainly originated from the modified morphology and/or the hetero-structured VO₂/SnO₂ interface.     

A comparative study of thin films of Zn(O;OH)S and In(O;OH)S deposited on CuInS2 by chemical bath deposition method

In this work, a study of synthesis of thin films of Zn(O;OH)S and In(O;OH)S deposited by chemical bath deposition (CBD) is presented. The thin films of Zn(O;OH)S and In(O;OH)S were deposited from different chemical bath systems on absorber layers of CuInS₂ (CIS), indium tin oxide substrates (ITO) and soda lime glass substrates (SL). The differences on the growth rate, optical, morphological and structural properties of the thin films Zn(O;OH)S and In(O;OH)S are studied. The Growth studies showed that thin films of Zn(O;OH)S and In(O;OH)S grown faster on CIS than on SL and ITO substrates. The optical and morphological studies showed that both thin films present high transmittance in visible electromagnetic spectrum and covered uniformly the surface of the substrate, furthermore it was observed that thin films of Zn(O;OH)S and In(O;OH)S were polycrystalline. Finally, the results suggest that thin films of Zn(O;OH)S and In(O;OH)S obtained in this work could be used as buffer layer to replace the thin films of CdS, which are conventionally used as buffer layer in chalcopyrite based solar cells.     

多孔TiO2/Al/SiO2纳米复合结构的紫外光吸收特性研究

在SiO₂玻璃衬底上用脉冲激光沉积(PLD)技术，分别沉积Ti和Ti/Al膜，经电化学阳极氧化成功制备了多孔TiO₂/SiO₂和TiO₂/Al/SiO₂纳米复合结构. 其中TiO₂薄膜上的微孔阵列高度有序，分布均匀. 实验研究了Al过渡层对多孔TiO₂薄膜光吸收特性的影响. 结果表明：无Al过渡层的多孔TiO₂薄膜其紫外吸收峰在27     

多孔TiO2/Al/SiO2纳米复合结构的紫外光吸收特性研究

在SiO₂玻璃衬底上用脉冲激光沉积(PLD)技术,分别沉积Ti和Ti/Al膜,经电化学阳极氧化成功制备了多孔TiO₂/SiO₂和TiO₂/Al/SiO₂纳米复合结构. 其中TiO₂薄膜上的微孔阵列高度有序,分布均匀. 实验研究了Al过渡层对多孔TiO₂薄膜光吸收特性的影响. 结果表明：无Al过渡层的多孔TiO₂薄膜其紫外吸收峰在27 关键词： 2薄膜')" href="#">多孔TiO₂薄膜 阳极氧化 紫外光吸收     

Effects of deposition temperature and hydrogen flow rate on the properties of the Al-doped ZnO thin films and amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells

A compound of 98 mol% ZnO and 1 mol% Al₂O₃ (AZO, Al:Zn = 98:2) was sintered at 1350 °C as a target and the AZO thin films were deposited on glass using a radio frequency magnetron sputtering system. The effects of deposition temperature (from room temperature to ～300 °C) on the optical transmission spectrum of the AZO thin films were studied. The Burstein–Moss shift was observed and used to prove that defects in the AZO thin films decreased with increasing deposition temperature. The variations in the optical band gap (E _g) values of the AZO thin films were evaluated from plots of (αhv)²=c(hν?E _g), revealing that the measured E _g values increased with increasing deposition temperature. The effects of the H₂ flow rate during deposition (0 %～11.76 %, deposition temperature of 200 °C) on the crystallization, morphology, resistivity, carrier concentration, carrier mobility, and optical transmission spectrum of the AZO thin films were measured. The chemical structures of the Ar-deposited and 2 % H₂-flow rate-deposited AZO thin films (both were deposited at 200 °C) were investigated by XPS to clarify the mechanism of improvement in resistivity. The prepared AZO thin films were also used as transparent electrodes to fabricate amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells, and their properties were also measured.     

粉末靶制备的AZO/Ag/AZO透明导电薄膜的光电性能

室温下,采用射频磁控溅射AZO粉末靶和Ag靶在玻璃基底上制备Ag层厚度分别为12 nm和15 nm两组对称结构掺铝氧化锌/银/掺铝氧化锌(AZO/Ag/AZO)透明导电薄膜,研究了Ag层和AZO层厚度对薄膜光电性能的影响。结果表明:3层薄膜的可见光区平均透光率达到了80%,550 nm处的最高透过率达到了88%,方块电阻小于5 Ω/□。Ag层厚度是影响AZO/Ag/AZO薄膜光电性能的主要因素,AZO层的厚度对薄膜光学性能影响较大。     

Determination of sodium migration in sol-gel deposited titania films on soda-lime glass with r.f. glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy

Transparent TiO₂ films were produced via sol-gel spin and dip-coating techniques. Soda-lime glass (SLG) and SiO₂ precoated glass were used as substrates. The thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray reflectometry (XRR), optical profilometer and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES). Na migration was detected in the amorphous TiO₂ films which are deposited on SLG substrates. In order to prevent sodium migration a barrier layer was introduced between TiO₂ film and glass. The beneficial role of this barrier layer on alkali migration is verified and the mechanism of prevention of migration is proposed relying on the results of GD-OES depth profile measurements.     

Texture control and its impact on the properties of SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) ferroelectric thin films with different preferred orientations were deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Several methods have been developed to control the preferred orientation of SBT thin films. For SBT films deposited directly on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates and in situ crystallized at the deposition temperature, the substrate temperature has a significant impact on the orientation and the remnant polarization (Pr) of the films; a higher substrate temperature benefits the formation of (115) texture and larger grain size. The films deposited on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates at 830 °C are (115)-oriented and exhibit 2Pr of 6 μC/cm². (115)- and (200)-predominant films can be formed by using a La_0.85Sr_0.15CoO₃ (LSCO) buffer layer or by annealing amorphous SBT films deposited on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates at 450 °C using rapid thermal annealing (RTA). These films exhibit good electric properties; 2Pr of the films are up to 12 μC/cm² and 17 μC/cm², respectively. The much larger 2Pr of the films deposited on the LSCO buffer layer and of the films obtained by RTA than 2Pr of the films deposited on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates at 830 °C is attributed to a stronger (200) texture. Received: 30 January 2001 / Accepted: 30 May 2001 / Published online: 25 July 2001     

Stabilization of the anatase phase in TiO2(Fe, PEG) nanostructured coatings

Multilayered TiO₂(Fe³⁺, PEG) films were deposited on glass and SiO₂/glass substrates by sol-gel dipping method. The influence of Fe³⁺ and PEG(polyethylene glycol) concentrations, the number of layers, the thermal treatment time and the temperature on the optical and microstructural properties of the TiO₂ films were studied.As-deposited TiO₂(Fe³⁺, PEG) films were very porous, but after the thermal treatment at 500 °C, the PEG decomposed and burned out to porosity decreasing. Homogeneous nanostructured films were obtained, where the amorphous and the anatase phases coexist. XRD analysis showed that no rutile phase is observed in the films deposited on SiO₂/glass as compared with those deposited directly on glass and that the presence of the anatase phase in the films without PEG is more evident in the three-layers film. The XRD intensity of the main peak of anatase from 25° decreases with the increase of PEG concentration.The optical gap of the TiO₂(Fe³⁺, PEG) films is found in 2.52-2.56 eV range and does not essentially depend on the PEG content.     

TCO/Ag/TCO transparent electrodes for solar cells application

Among transparent electrodes, transparent conductive oxides (TCO)/metal/TCO structures can achieve optical and electrical performances comparable to, or better than, single TCO layers and very thin metallic films. In this work, we report on thin multilayers based on aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), indium tin oxide (ITO) and Ag deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on soda lime glass at room temperature. The TCO/Ag/TCO structures with thicknesses of about 50/10/50 nm were deposited with all combinations of AZO and ITO as top and bottom layers. While the electrical conductivity is dominated by the Ag intralayer irrespective of the TCO nature, the optical transmissions show a dependence on the nature of the top and bottom TCOs, mainly due to the change in the reflectivity of the multilayers. Structural, electrical and optical properties are studied to optimize the structure for very thin transparent electrodes suitable for photovoltaic applications.     

Properties of ITO–AZO bilayer thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering for applications in thin-film silicon solar cells

In this paper we study the electro-optical behavior and the application of indium–tin oxide (ITO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) bilayer thin films for silicon solar cells. ITO–AZO bilayer thin films were deposited on glass substrates using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. The experimental results show that a decrease in the electrical resistivity of the ITO–AZO bilayer thin films has been achieved without significant degradation of optical properties. In the best case the resistivity of the bilayer films reached a minimum of 5.075×10^?4 Ω?cm when the thickness of the AZO buffer layer was 12 nm. The ITO–AZO bilayer films were applied as the front electrodes of amorphous silicon solar cells and the short-circuit current density of the solar cells was considerably increased.     

Effect of crystallinity of ZnO buffer layer on the properties of epitaxial (ZnO:Al)/(ZnO:Ga) bi-layer films deposited on c-sapphire substrate

Bi-layer ZnO films with 2 wt.% Al (AZO; ZnO:Al) and 4 wt.% Ga-doped (GZO; ZnO:Ga) were deposited on the ZnO buffered and annealed ZnO buffered c(0 0 0 1)-sapphire(Al₂O₃) substrates respectively by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). The effect of crystallinity of ZnO buffer layer on the crystallinity and electrical properties of the AZO/GZO bi-layer thin films was investigated. It was seen that the crystallinity of ZnO buffer layer had a great influence on the orientation and defect density of AZO/GZO bi-layer thin films from X-ray Diffraction (XRD) peaks and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) images. In a word, it was found in the films that more preferred c-axis orientation texture and reduction of the defects such as stacking faults and dislocations, with increasing of the crystallinity of ZnO buffer layer.     

Preparation of ZnO-doped Al films by spray pyrolysis technique

Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been prepared by spray pyrolysis (SP) technique of zinc acetate and aluminium nitrate, and the effect of thickness on structural and optical properties has been investigated. The structural and optical characteristics of the AZO films were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and double-beam spectrophotometry. These films, deposited on glass substrates at an optimal substrate temperature (T_S = 450 °C), have a polycrystalline texture with a hexagonal structure. Transmission measurements showed that for visible wavelengths, the AZO films have an average transmission of over 90%. The optical parameters have been calculated. The dependence of the refractive index, n, and extinction coefficient, k, on the wavelength for the sprayed films is also reported. Optical band gap of AZO is 3.30 and 3.55 eV, respectively, depending on the film thicknesses.     

Influence of negative ion resputtering on Al-doped ZnO thin films prepared by mid-frequency magnetron sputtering

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films were deposited on glass substrates by mid-frequency magnetron sputtering with a ceramic ZnO:Al₂O₃ (98 wt%:2 wt%) target. The origin of the high resistivity of the films at the substrate position facing the erosion area of the target was investigated. The results indicate a preferential resputtering of Zn atoms caused by the negative ions, which leads to an increase of the oxygen/metal ratio in the films. Then more Al oxides form and result in the decrease of Al_Zn (the main donor in the films) concentration in the films. Thus the free carrier concentration decreases badly. This is the main mechanism responsible for the high resistivity.     

The reason of degradation in electrical properties of ZnO:Al thin films annealed with various post-annealing temperature

ZnO:Al (AZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature and post-annealed in rapid thermal annealing (RTA) system. The effect of post-annealing temperature on the structural, optical, and electrical properties was investigated. As the post-annealing temperature increased, electrical conductivity is deteriorated due to a decrease in the mobility or carrier concentration, gradually. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, the behavior of mobility and carrier concentration is attributed to increase the O₂ absorption on film surface, which act as rising the barrier potential at the low post-annealing temperature (200 °C) and reducing the density of donor-like defects at the high post-annealing temperature (400 °C). In case of post-annealing, the minimization of O₂ absorption is a very important factor to obtain better electrical properties.     

Influence of substrate temperature and post-treatment on the properties of ZnO:Al thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Highly transparent conductive Al₂O₃ doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been deposited on the glass substrate by pulsed laser deposition technique. The effects of substrate temperature and post-deposition annealing treatment on structural, electrical and optical properties of AZO thin films were investigated. The experimental results show that the electrical resistivity of films deposited at 240 °C is 6.1 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm, which can be further reduced to as low as 4.7 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm by post-deposition annealing at 400 °C for 2 h in argon. The average transmission of AZO films in the visible range is 90%. The optical direct band gap of films was dependent on the substrate temperature and the annealing treatment in argon. The optical direct band gap value of AZO films increased with increasing annealing temperature.     

Influence of Zr(50)Cu(50) thin film metallic glass as buffer layer on the structural and optoelectrical properties of AZO films

Aluminum-doped ZnO(AZO) thin films with thin film metallic glass of Zr(50)Cu(50) as buffer are prepared on glass substrates by the pulsed laser deposition. The influence of buffer thickness and substrate temperature on structural, optical, and electrical properties of AZO thin film are investigated. Increasing the thickness of buffer layer and substrate temperature can both promote the transformation of AZO from amorphous to crystalline structure, while they show(100)and(002) unique preferential orientations, respectively. After inserting Zr(50)Cu(50) layer between the glass substrate and AZO film, the sheet resistance and visible transmittance decrease, but the infrared transmittance increases. With substrate temperature increasing from 25℃ to 520℃, the sheet resistance of AZO(100 nm)/Zr(50)Cu(50)(4 nm) film first increases and then decreases, and the infrared transmittance is improved. The AZO(100 nm)/Zr(50)Cu(50)(4 nm) film deposited at a substrate temperature of 360℃ exhibits a low sheet resistance of 26.7 ?/, high transmittance of 82.1% in the visible light region, 81.6% in near-infrared region, and low surface roughness of 0.85 nm, which are useful properties for their potential applications in tandem solar cell and infrared technology.     

Zn incorporation and (CuIn)1−xZn2xSe2 thin film formation during the selenization of evaporated Cu and In precursors on Al:ZnO coated glass substrates

CuInSe₂ thin films with typical 1.0 eV gap energy and tetragonal chalcopyrite structure have been obtained on soda–lime glass substrates by the reaction of sequentially evaporated Cu and In layers with elemental selenium vapor, at 500 °C in flowing Ar. When analogous deposition and reaction processes were performed on Al:ZnO coated glasses, some increment in the band gap energy and diminution in the crystalline interplanar spacings have been detected for the resulting films with an extent that depends on the Cu/In atomic ratio of the evaporated precursor layers. This fact has been related to Zn incorporation into the selenized film, with quaternary (CuIn)_1−xZn_2xSe₂ compound formation that is influenced by the presence of copper selenide phases during the reaction process. Such deductions are supported by the optical, structural and compositional characterizations that have been performed comparatively on samples prepared by selenization of evaporated metallic precursors with two different Cu/In ratios (0.9 and 1.1) on bare and Al:ZnO coated glass substrates.     

Substrate effects on the oxygen gas sensing properties of SnO2/TiO2 thin films

In this study, SnO₂/TiO₂ thin films are fabricated on SiO₂/Si and Corning glass 1737 substrates using a R.F. magnetron sputtering process. The gas sensing properties of these films under an oxygen atmosphere with and without UV irradiation are carefully examined. The surface structure, morphology, optical transmission characteristics, and chemical compositions of the films are analyzed by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and PL spectrometry. It is found that the oxygen sensitivity of the films deposited on Corning glass 1737 substrates is significantly lower than that of the films grown on SiO₂/Si substrates. Therefore, the results suggest that SiO₂/Si is an appropriate substrate material for oxygen gas sensors fabricated using thin SnO₂/TiO₂ films.