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Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol.156, No.8, J215-J220, 2009
Nanoscale Silver-Based Al-Doped ZnO Multilayer Transparent-Conductive Oxide Films
Requirements of transparent-conductive oxide (TCO) films for solar cells and other optoelectronic applications are mainly focused on the electrical resistivity as low as 10(-5) cm, optical transmittance above similar to 85% in the visible region, a long-term stability in damp heat-treatment for 1000 h, a mechanical stability on flexible polymer substrates, and the large-area deposition technique for commercialization. In this study, the typical properties of the 45 nm thick Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/Ag/45 nm thick AZO multilayer films embedded by silver layers with various thicknesses were addressed to satisfy the requirements of TCO films for flexible electronic device applications. The AZO/9 nm thick Ag/AZO multilayer films as deposited on poly(ether sulfone) (PES) polymer substrates at 30 degrees C by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering, which the deposition on large-area substrates is possible, exhibited the electrical resistivity of approximately 5x10(-5) cm, optical transmittance of 88% at 550 nm wavelength, no appreciable change in electrical resistance and optical transmittance after damp heat-treatment for 1000 h, and a strong mechanical stability between multilayer films and PES substrates after a severe bending test. The results presented in the multilayer films can provide a platform for TCO films deposited on polymer substrates to enable the flexible electronic device applications.
Keywords:aluminium;bending;electrical resistivity;heat treatment;II-VI semiconductors;mechanical stability;nanostructured materials;optical films;optical multilayers;semiconductor thin films;semiconductor-metal boundaries;silver;sputtered coatings;transparency;wide band gap semiconductors;zinc compounds