Effect of RF power on the properties of transparent conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

Transparent and conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide films with high transparency and relatively low resistivity have been successfully prepared by radio frequency （RF） msgnetron sputtering at room temperature, The RF power is varied from 75 to 150 W. At first the crystallinity and conductivity of the film are improved and then both of them show deterioration with the increase of the RF power, The lowest resistivity achieved is 2.07 × 10^-3Ωcm at an RF power of 100W with a Hall mobility of 16cm^2V^-1s^-1 and a carrier concentration of 1.95 × 10^20 cm^-3. The films obtained are polycryetalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation along the c-axis, All the films have a high transmittance of approximately 92% in the visible range. The optical band gap is about 3.33 eV for the films deposited at different RF powers.

Solution‑Processed Transparent Conducting Electrodes for Flexible Organic Solar Cells with 16.61% Efficiency

Nonfullerene organic solar cells(OSCs)have achieved breakthrough with pushing the efficiency exceeding 17%.While this shed light on OSC commercialization,high-performance flexible OSCs should be pursued through solution manufacturing.Herein,we report a solution-processed flexible OSC based on a transparent conducting PEDOT:PSS anode doped with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid(CF3SO3H).Through a low-concentration and low-temperature CF3SO3H doping,the conducting polymer anodes exhibited a main sheet resistance of 35Ωsq−1(minimum value:32Ωsq−1),a raised work function(≈5.0 eV),a superior wettability,and a high electrical stability.The high work function minimized the energy level mismatch among the anodes,hole-transporting layers and electron-donors of the active layers,thereby leading to an enhanced carrier extraction.The solution-processed flexible OSCs yielded a record-high efficiency of 16.41%(maximum value:16.61%).Besides,the flexible OSCs afforded the 1000 cyclic bending tests at the radius of 1.5 mm and the long-time thermal treatments at 85°C,demonstrating a high flexibility and a good thermal stability.

The properties of transparent conducting molybdenum-doped ZnO films grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Transparent conducting molybdenum-doped zinc oxide films are prepared by radio frequency（RF） magnetron sputtering at ambient temperature.The MoO3 content in the target varies from 0 to 5 wt%,and each film is polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation along the c axis.The resistivity first decreases and then increases with the increase in MoO3 content.The lowest resistivity achieved is 9.2 × 10^-4.cm,with a high Hall mobility of 30 cm^2.V-1.s-1 and a carrier concentration of 2.3×10^20 cm^-3 at an MoO3 content of 2 wt%.The average transmittance in the visible range is reduced from 91% to 80% with the increase in the MoO3 content in the target.

Annealing time dependent structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of RF sputtered p-type transparent conducting SnO_2/Al/SnO_2 thin films

Transparent p-type conducting SnO2/Al/SnO2 multilayer films were fabricated on quartz substrates by radio frequency(RF) sputtering using SnO2 and Al targets. The deposited films were annealed at a fix temperature of 500 °C for different time durations(1-8 h). The effect of annealing time on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical performances of SnO2/Al/SnO2 multilayer films was studied. X-ray diffraction(XRD) results show that all the p-type conducting films possess polycrystalline SnO2 with tetragonal rutile structure. Hall-effect results indicate that 500 °C for 1 h is the optimum annealing condition for p-type SnO2/Al/SnO2 multilayer films, resulting in a hole concentration of 1.14×1018 cm-3 and a low resistivity of 1.38 ?·cm, respectively. The optical transmittance of the p-type SnO2/Al/SnO2 multilayer films is above 80% within annealing time range of 1-8 h, showing maximum for the films annealed for 1 h.

Transparent Conducting ZnO:Al Films on Different Organic Substrates Deposited by r.f. Sputtering

Transparent conducting ZnO:AI films with good adhesion, low resistivity and high transmittance have been prepared on polyptopylene adipate (PPA), polyisocyanate (PI) and polyester substrates by r.f. magnetron sputtering. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the obtained films were studied. The polycrystalline ZnO:AI films with resistivity as low as 5.76xl0^-4 Ω.cm, carrier concentration 9.06xl0^20 cm^-3 and Hall mobility 11.98 cm^2 V^-1s^-1 were produced on PPA substrate by controlling the deposition parameters. The average transmittance of films on PPA is ～80% in the wavelength range of visible spectrum. The films on PPA substrates have better electrical and optical properties compared with the films on other kinds of substrates.

Conduction Properties and Scattering Mechanisms in F-doped Textured Transparent Conducting SnO_2 Films Deposited by APCVD

Transparent conducting F-doped texture SnO2 films with resistivity as low as 5× 10-4 Ω ·cm,with carrier concentrations between 3.5 × 1020 and 7× 1020 cm-3 and Hall mobilities from 15.7 to 20.1 cm2/(V/s) have been prepared by atmosphere pressure chemical vapour deposition (APCVD). These polycrystalline films possess a variable preferred orientation, the polycrystallite sizes and orientations vary with substrate temperature. The substrate temperature and fluorine flow rate dependence of conductivity, Hall mobility and carrier conentration fOr the resultingfilms have been obtained. The temperature dependence of the mobiity and carrier concentrationhave been measured over a temperature range 16～400 K. A systematically theoretical analysis on scattering mechanisms for the highly conductive SnO2 films has been given. Both theoretical analysis and experimental results indicate that for these degenerate, polycrystalline SnO2 ：F films in the low temperature range (below 100 K), ionized impurity scattering is main scattering mechanism. However, when the temperature is higher than 100 K, the lattice vibration scattering becomes dominant. The grain boundary scattering makes a small contribution to limit the mobility of the films.

THE BAND STRUCTURE AND WORK FUNCTION OF TRANSPARENT CONDUCTING ALUMINUM AND MANGANESE CO-DOPED ZINC OXIDE FILMS

Al and Mn co-doped-ZnO films have been prepared at room temperature by DC reacti ve magnetron sputtering technique. The optical absorption coefficient, apparent and fundamental band gap, and work function of the films have been investigated using optical spectroscopy, band structure analyses and ultraviolet photoelectro n spectroscopy (UPS). ZnO films have direct allowed transition band structure, w hich has been confirmed by the character of the optical absorption coefficient. The apparent band gap has been found directly proportional to N2/3, showing that the effect of Burstein-Moss shift on the band gap variations dominates over the many-body effect. With only standard cleaning protocols, the work function of ZnO: (Al, Mn) and ZnO: Al films have been measured to be 4.26 and 4.21eV, respec tively. The incorporation of Mn element into the matrix of ZnO, as a relatively deep donor, can remove some electrons from the conduction band and deplete the d ensity of occupied states at the Fermi energy, which causes a loss in measured p hotoemission intensity and an increase in the surface work function. Based on th e band gap and work function results, the energy band diagram of the ZnO: (Al, M n) film near its surface is also given.

Density functional theory analysis of electronic structure and optical properties of La-doped Cd_2SnO_4 transparent conducting oxide

The electronic structural, effective masses of carriers, and optical properties of pure and La-doped Cd2SnO4 are calculated by using the first-principles method based on the density functional theory. Using the GGA＋U method, we show that Cd2SnO4 is a direct band-gap semiconductor with a band gap of 2.216 eV, the band gap decreases to 2.02 eV and the Fermi energy level moves to the conduction band after La doping. The density of states of Cd2SnO4 shows that the bottom of the conduction band is composed of Cd 5s, Sn 5s, and Sn 5p orbits, the top of the valence band is composed of Cd 4d and O 2p, and the La 5d orbital is hybridized with the O 2p orbital, which plays a key role at the conduction band bottom after La doping. The effective masses at the conduction band bottom of pure and La-doped Cd2SnO4 are 0.18m0 and 0.092m0, respectively, which indicates that the electrical conductivity of Cd2SnO4 after La doping is improved. The calculated optical properties show that the optical transmittance of La-doped Cd2SnO4 is 92%, the optical absorption edge is slightly blue shifted, and the optical band gap is increased to 3.263 eV. All the results indicate that the conductivity and optical transmittance of Cd2SnO4 can be improved by doping La.

Effects of Substrate Temperature on Properties for Transparent Conducting ZnO:A1 Films on Organic Substrate Deposited by r.f. Sputtering

This paper presents the substrate temperature dependence of opto-electrical properties for transparent conducting Al-doped ZnO films prepared on polyisocyanate (PI) substrates by r f sputtering. Polycrystalline ZnO:Al films with good adherence to the substrates having a (002) preferred orientation have been obtained with resistivities in the range from 4.1×10-3to 5.3×104 Ωcm, carrier densities more than 2.6×1020 cm-3 and Hall mobilities between 5.78 and 13.11 cm2/V/s for films. The average transmittance reaches 75% in the visible spectrum. The quality of obtained films depends on substrate temperature during film fabrication.

Biomimic Vein-Like Transparent Conducting Electrodes with Low Sheet Resistance and Metal Consumption

In this contribution,inspired by the excellent resource management and material transport function of leaf veins,the electrical transport function of metallized leaf veins is mimicked from the material transport function of the vein networks.By electroless copper plating on real leaf vein networks with copper thickness of only several hundred nanometre up to several micrometre,certain leaf veins can be converted to transparent conductive electrodes with an ultralow sheet resistance 100 times lower than that of state-of-the-art indium tin oxide thin films,combined with a broadband optical transmission of above 80%in the UV–VIS–IR range.Additionally,the resource efficiency of the vein-like electrode is characterized by the small amount of material needed to build up the networks and the low copper consumption during metallization.In particular,the high current density transport capability of the electrode of>6000 A cm^−2 was demonstrated.These superior properties of the vein-like structures inspire the design of high-performance transparent conductive electrodes without using critical materials and may significantly reduce the Ag consumption down to<10%of the current level for mass production of solar cells and will contribute greatly to the electrode for high power density concentrator solar cells,high power density Li-ion batteries,and supercapacitors.

The properties of transparent conducting molybdenum-doped ZnO films grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Transparent conducting molybdenum-doped zinc oxide films are prepared by radio frequency(RF) magnetron sputtering at ambient temperature.The MoO3 content in the target varies from 0 to 5 wt%,and each film is polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation along the c axis.The resistivity first decreases and then increases with the increase in MoO3 content.The lowest resistivity achieved is 9.2 × 10-4.cm,with a high Hall mobility of 30 cm2.V-1.s-1 and a carrier concentration of 2.3×1020 cm-3 at an MoO3 content of 2 wt%.The average transmittance in the visible range is reduced from 91% to 80% with the increase in the MoO3 content in the target.

Flexible, Transparent and Conductive Metal Mesh Films with Ultra‑High FoM for Stretchable Heating and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

Despite the growing demand for transparent conductive films in smart and wearable electronics for electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding,achieving a flexible EMI shielding film,while maintaining a high transmittance remains a significant challenge.Herein,a flexible,transparent,and conductive copper(Cu)metal mesh film for EMI shielding is fabricated by self-forming crackle template method and electroplating technique.The Cu mesh film shows an ultra-low sheet resistance(0.18Ω□^(-1)),high transmittance(85.8%@550 nm),and ultra-high figure of merit(>13,000).It also has satisfactory stretchability and mechanical stability,with a resistance increases of only 1.3%after 1,000 bending cycles.As a stretchable heater(ε>30%),the saturation temperature of the film can reach over 110°C within 60 s at 1.00 V applied voltage.Moreover,the metal mesh film exhibits outstanding average EMI shielding effectiveness of 40.4 dB in the X-band at the thickness of 2.5μm.As a demonstration,it is used as a transparent window for shielding the wireless communication electromagnetic waves.Therefore,the flexible and transparent conductive Cu mesh film proposed in this work provides a promising candidate for the next-generation EMI shielding applications.

Influence of the sputtering pressure on the properties of transparent conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

Transparent conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide films with high transparency and relatively low resistivity have been successfully prepared on water-cooled glass substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The Ar sputtering pressure was varied from 0.5 to 3 Pa. The crystallinity increases and the electrical resistivity decreases when the sputtering pressure increases from 0.5 to 2.5 Pa. The cystallinity decreases and the electrical resistivity increases when the sputtering pressure increases from 2.5 to 3 Pa. When the sputtering pressure is 2.5 Pa, it is obtained that the lowest resistivity is 2.03 x 10^-3Ω .cm with a very high transmittance of above 94%. The deposited films are polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation perpendicular to the substrate.

Effect of substrate temperature on the stability of transparent conducting cobalt doped ZnO thin films

Transparent conducting Co doped ZnO thin films have been fabricated by Ultrasonic spray. The thin films were deposited at three different substrate temperatures of 300, 350 and 400 ℃. The obtained films had a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a strong （002） preferred orientation. The maximum crystallite size value of the film deposited at 350 ℃ is 55.46 nm. Spectrophotometer （UV-vis） of a Co doped ZnO film deposited at 350 ℃ shows an average transmittance of about 90%. The band gap energy increased from 3.351 to 3.362 eV when the substrate temperature increased from 300 to 350 ℃. The electrical conductivity of the films deposited at 300, 350 and 400 ℃ were 7.424, 7.547 and 6.743 （Ω·cm）^-1 respectively. The maximum activation energy value of the films at 350 ℃ was 1.28 eV, indicating that the films exhibit a n-type semiconducting nature.

Influence of the distance between target and substrate on the properties of transparent conducting Al-Zr co-doped zinc oxide thin films

Highly transparent and conducting Al-Zr co-doped zinc oxide （ZAZO） thin films were successfully prepared on glass substrate by direct current （DC） magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The distance between target and substrate was varied from 45 to 70 mm. All the deposited films are polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and have a preferred orientation along the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. The crystallinity increases obviously and the electrical resistivity decreases when the distance between target and substrate decreases from 70 to 50 mm. However, as the distance decreases further, the crystallinity decreases and the electrical resistivity increases. When the distance between target and substrate is 50 ram, it is found that the lowest resistivity is 6.9 × 10^-4Ω cm. All the deposited films show a high average transmittance of above 92% in the visible range.

Preparation and characterization of transparent conducting ZnO:W films by DC magnetron sputtering

Tungsten-doped zinc oxide（ZnO：W） films with low resistivity and high transmittance were successfully deposited on glass substrates by direct current magnetron sputtering at low temperature.The deposition pressure is varied from 12 to 21 Pa.The X-ray diffraction results show that all of the deposited films are polycrystalline and have a hexagonal structure with a preferred c-axis orientation.The crystallinity,morphologies and resistivity of ZnO：W films greatly depend on deposition pressure while the optical properties including optical transmittance, optical band gap as well as refractive index are not sensitive to deposition pressure.The deposited films with an electrical resistivity as low as 1.5×10^（-4）Ω·cm,sheet resistance of 6.8Ω/□and an average transmittance of 91.3% in the visible range were obtained at a deposition pressure of 21 Pa and sputtering power of 130 W.

Structural and Physical Property Analysis of ZnO-SnO_2—In_2O_3—Ga_2O_3 Quaternary Transparent Conducting Oxide System

The increasing demand in the diverse device applications of transparent conducting oxides （TCOs） requires synthesis of new TCOs of n- or p-type conductivity. This article is about materials engineering of ZnO-SnO2- In2O3-Ga2O3 to synthesize powders of the quaternary compound Zn2-xSn1-xlnxGaxO4-δ in the stoichiometry of x = 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 by solid state reaction at 1275℃. Lattice parameters were determined by X-ray diffraction （XRD） technique and solubility of In3＋ and Ga3＋ in spinel Zn2SnO4 was found at 1275℃. The solubility limit of In3＋ and Ga3＋ in Zn2SnO4 is found at below x = 0.4. The optical transmittance approximated by the UV-Vis reflectance spectra showed excellent characteristics while optical band gap was consistent across 3.2 eV with slight decrease along increasing x value. Carrier mobility of the species was considerably higher than the older versions of zinc stannate spinel co-substitutions whereas the carrier concentrations were moderate.

Thickness dependence of the properties of transparent conducting ZnO:Zr films deposited on flexible substrates by RF magnetron sputtering

Transparent conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide （ZnO：Zr） thin films with high transparency, low resistivity and good adhesion were successfully prepared on water-cooled flexible substrates （polyethylene glycol terephthalate, PET） by RF magnetron sputtering. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the films were studied for different thicknesses in detail. X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） revealed that all the deposited films are polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation perpendicular to the substrate. The lowest resistivity achieved is 1.55 × 10-3 Ω·cm for a thickness of 189 nm with a Hall mobility of 17.6 cm2/（V·s） and a carrier concentration of 2.15×1020 cm-3. All the films present a high transmittance of above 90% in the wavelength range of the visible spectrum.

Low-temperature deposition of transparent conducting Mn-W co-doped ZnO thin films

Mn-W co-doped ZnO（ZMWO） thin films with low resistivity and high transparency were successfully prepared on glass substrate by direct current（DC） magnetron sputtering at low temperature.The sputtering power was varied from 65 to 150 W.The crystallinity and resistivity of ZMWO films greatly depend on sputtering power while the optical transmittance and optical band gap are not sensitive to sputtering power.All the deposited films are polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and have a preferred orientation along the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate.Considering the crystallinity and the electrical and optical properties,we suggest that the optimal sputtering power in this experiment is 90 W and,at this power,the ZMWO film has the lowest resistivity of 9.8×10^（-4）Ω.cm with a high transmittance of approximately 89%in the visible range.

High-performance transparent conducting films of long single-walled carbon nanotubes synthesized from toluene alone

Single-walled carbon nanotube(SWCNT)transparent conducting films(TCFs)are attracting increasing attention due to their exceptional optoelectronic properties.Toluene is a proposed carbon source for SWCNT synthesis,but the growth parameters of SWCNTs and their TCF optoelectronic performance(i.e.,sheet resistance versus transmittance)have been insufficiently evaluated.Here,we have for the first time reported a systematic study of the fabrication of high-performance SWCNT TCFs using toluene alone as the carbon source.The mechanisms behind each observed phenomenon were elucidated using optical and microscopy techniques.By optimizing the growth parameters,high yields of SWCNT TCFs exhibiting a considerably low sheet resistance of 57Ω/sq at 90%transmittance were obtained.This competitive optoelectronic performance is mainly attributable to long SWCNT bundles(mean length is 41.4μm)in the film.Additionally,a chirality map determined by electron diffraction displays a bimodal distribution of chiral angles divided at 15°,which is close to both armchair and zigzag edges.Our study paved the way towards scaled-up production of SWCNTs for the fabrication of high-performance TCFs for industrial applications.