Transparent conducting oxide nanotubes

Science.gov (United States)

Alivov, Yahya; Singh, Vivek; Ding, Yuchen; Nagpal, Prashant

2014-09-01

Thin film or porous membranes made of hollow, transparent, conducting oxide (TCO) nanotubes, with high chemical stability, functionalized surfaces and large surface areas, can provide an excellent platform for a wide variety of nanostructured photovoltaic, photodetector, photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic devices. While large-bandgap oxide semiconductors offer transparency for incident light (below their nominal bandgap), their low carrier concentration and poor conductivity makes them unsuitable for charge conduction. Moreover, materials with high conductivity have nominally low bandgaps and hence poor light transmittance. Here, we demonstrate thin films and membranes made from TiO2 nanotubes heavily-doped with shallow Niobium (Nb) donors (up to 10%, without phase segregation), using a modified electrochemical anodization process, to fabricate transparent conducting hollow nanotubes. Temperature dependent current-voltage characteristics revealed that TiO2 TCO nanotubes, doped with 10% Nb, show metal-like behavior with resistivity decreasing from 6.5 × 10-4 Ωcm at T = 300 K (compared to 6.5 × 10-1 Ωcm for nominally undoped nanotubes) to 2.2 × 10-4 Ωcm at T = 20 K. Optical properties, studied by reflectance measurements, showed light transmittance up to 90%, within wavelength range 400 nm-1000 nm. Nb doping also improves the field emission properties of TCO nanotubes demonstrating an order of magnitude increase in field-emitter current, compared to undoped samples.

Transparent conducting oxide films of group V doped titania prepared by aqueous chemical solution deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elen, Ken; Capon, Boris; De Dobbelaere, Christopher; Dewulf, Daan; Peys, Nick; Detavernier, Christophe; Hardy, An; Van Bael, Marlies K.

2014-01-01

Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films of titania doped with vanadium (V), niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta) are obtained by aqueous Chemical Solution Deposition (CSD). The effect of the dopant on the crystallization and microstructure of the resulting films is examined by means of X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. During annealing of the thin films, in-situ characterization of the crystal structure and sheet resistance is carried out. Niobium doped anatase films, obtained after annealing in forming gas, show a resistivity of 0,28 Ohm cm, which is the lowest resistivity reported for a solution deposited anatase-based TCO so far. Here, we demonstrate that aqueous CSD may provide a strategy for scalable TCO production in the future. - Highlights: • Aqueous chemical solution deposition of doped titanium dioxide • Doping delays the phase transition from anatase to rutile • Lowest resistivity after doping with niobium and annealing in Forming Gas • Transparency higher than 80% in the visible range of optical spectrum

Transparent conducting oxide films of group V doped titania prepared by aqueous chemical solution deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elen, Ken [Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Institute for Materials Research, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); IMEC vzw division IMOMEC, Agoralaan Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); Strategisch Initiatief Materialen (SIM), SoPPoM Program (Belgium); Capon, Boris [Strategisch Initiatief Materialen (SIM), SoPPoM Programm (Belgium); Coating and Contacting of Nanostructures, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 S1, B-9000 Ghent (Belgium); De Dobbelaere, Christopher [Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Institute for Materials Research, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); Dewulf, Daan [Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Institute for Materials Research, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); IMEC vzw division IMOMEC, Agoralaan Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); Peys, Nick [Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Institute for Materials Research, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); IMEC vzw, Kapeldreef 75, B-3001 Heverlee (Belgium); Detavernier, Christophe [Coating and Contacting of Nanostructures, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281 S1, B-9000 Ghent (Belgium); Hardy, An [Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Institute for Materials Research, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); IMEC vzw division IMOMEC, Agoralaan Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); Van Bael, Marlies K., E-mail: marlies.vanbael@uhasselt.be [Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Institute for Materials Research, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium); IMEC vzw division IMOMEC, Agoralaan Building D, B-3590 Diepenbeek (Belgium)

2014-03-31

Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films of titania doped with vanadium (V), niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta) are obtained by aqueous Chemical Solution Deposition (CSD). The effect of the dopant on the crystallization and microstructure of the resulting films is examined by means of X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. During annealing of the thin films, in-situ characterization of the crystal structure and sheet resistance is carried out. Niobium doped anatase films, obtained after annealing in forming gas, show a resistivity of 0,28 Ohm cm, which is the lowest resistivity reported for a solution deposited anatase-based TCO so far. Here, we demonstrate that aqueous CSD may provide a strategy for scalable TCO production in the future. - Highlights: • Aqueous chemical solution deposition of doped titanium dioxide • Doping delays the phase transition from anatase to rutile • Lowest resistivity after doping with niobium and annealing in Forming Gas • Transparency higher than 80% in the visible range of optical spectrum.

Surface microstructure evolution of highly transparent and conductive Al-doped ZnO thin films and its application in CIGS solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Ke; Liu, Jingjing; Jin, Ranran; Liu, Jingling; Liu, Xinsheng; Lu, Zhangbo; Liu, Ya; Liu, Xiaolan; Du, Zuliang

2017-07-01

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) has attained intensive attention as being a very good transparent conducting oxide for photovoltaic applications. In this work, AZO films have been deposited on glass substrate by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The influences of substrate temperatures on morphological, structural, optical and electrical properties of AZO films were systematically investigated. The results indicate that all AZO films have the hexagonal structure with c-axis preferred orientation. Morphological and electrical measurements have revealed that the substrate temperatures have strong influence on the microstructure, optical and electrical properties of AZO films. The AZO film is highly transparent from ultraviolet up to near infrared range with highest average transparency exceeding 83%. The minimum resistivity is as low as 6.1 × 10-4 Ω cm. The carrier concentration and mobility are as high as 3.357 × 1020 cm-3 and 30.48 cm2/Vs, respectively. Finally, the performances of the AZO film are evaluated by its practical application in Cu(In1-xGax)Se2 (CIGS) photovoltaic device as a transparent electrode. Benefited from its highly transparent and conductive feature, the most efficient device reveals an efficiency of 7.8% with a short-circuit current density of 28.99 mA/cm2, an open-circuit voltage of 430 mV, and a fill factor of 62.44 under standard conditions.

AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors with transparent gates by Al-doped ZnO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Chong; He Yun-Long; Zheng Xue-Feng; Ma Xiao-Hua; Zhang Jin-Cheng; Hao Yue

2013-01-01

AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with Al-doped ZnO (AZO) transparent gate electrodes are fabricated, and Ni/Au/Ni-gated HEMTs are produced in comparison. The AZO-gated HEMTs show good DC characteristics and Schottky rectifying characteristics, and the gate electrodes achieve excellent transparencies. Compared with Ni/Au/Ni-gated HEMTs, AZO-gated HEMTs show a low saturation current, high threshold voltage, high Schottky barrier height, and low gate reverse leakage current. Due to the higher gate resistivity, AZO-gated HEMTs exhibit a current—gain cutoff frequency (f T ) of 10 GHz and a power gain cutoff frequency (f max ) of 5 GHz, and lower maximum oscillation frequency than Ni/Au/Ni-gated HEMTs. Moreover, the C—V characteristics are measured and the gate interface characteristics of the AZO-gated devices are investigated by a C—V dual sweep

Transparent Conducting Oxides—An Up-To-Date Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Stadler

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs are electrical conductive materials with comparably low absorption of electromagnetic waves within the visible region of the spectrum. They are usually prepared with thin film technologies and used in opto-electrical apparatus such as solar cells, displays, opto-electrical interfaces and circuitries. Here, based on a modern database-system, aspects of up-to-date material selections and applications for transparent conducting oxides are sketched, and references for detailed information are given. As n-type TCOs are of special importance for thin film solar cell production, indium-tin oxide (ITO and the reasonably priced aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al, are discussed with view on preparation, characterization and special occurrences. For completion, the recently frequently mentioned typical p-type delafossite TCOs are described as well, providing a variety of references, as a detailed discussion is not reasonable within an overview publication.

Transparent conducting oxides and production thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Gessert, Timothy A.; Yoshida, Yuki; Coutts, Timothy J.

2014-06-10

Transparent conducting oxides and production thereof are disclosed. An exemplary method of producing a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) material may comprise: providing a TCO target doped with either a high-permittivity oxide or a low-permittivity oxide in a process chamber. The method may also comprise depositing a metal oxide on the target in the process chamber to form a thin film having enhanced optical properties without substantially decreasing electrical quality.

A single-source precursor route to anisotropic halogen-doped zinc oxide particles as a promising candidate for new transparent conducting oxide materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Lehr

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Numerous applications in optoelectronics require electrically conducting materials with high optical transparency over the entire visible light range. A solid solution of indium oxide and substantial amounts of tin oxide for electronic doping (ITO is currently the most prominent example for the class of so-called TCOs (transparent conducting oxides. Due to the limited, natural occurrence of indium and its steadily increasing price, it is highly desired to identify materials alternatives containing highly abundant chemical elements. The doping of other metal oxides (e.g., zinc oxide, ZnO is a promising approach, but two problems can be identified. Phase separation might occur at the required high concentration of the doping element, and for successful electronic modification it is mandatory that the introduced heteroelement occupies a defined position in the lattice of the host material. In the case of ZnO, most attention has been attributed so far to n-doping via substitution of Zn2+ by other metals (e.g., Al3+. Here, we present first steps towards n-doped ZnO-based TCO materials via substitution in the anion lattice (O2− versus halogenides. A special approach is presented, using novel single-source precursors containing a potential excerpt of the target lattice 'HalZn·Zn3O3' preorganized on the molecular scale (Hal = I, Br, Cl. We report about the synthesis of the precursors, their transformation into halogene-containing ZnO materials, and finally structural, optical and electronic properties are investigated using a combination of techniques including FT-Raman, low-T photoluminescence, impedance and THz spectroscopies.

An epitaxial transparent conducting perovskite oxide: double-doped SrTiO3

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ravichandran, Jayakanth; Siemons, W.; Heijmerikx, Herman; Huijben, Mark; Majumdar, Arun; Ramesh, Ramamoorthy

2010-01-01

Epitaxial thin films of strontium titanate doped with different concentrations of lanthanum and oxygen vacancies were grown on LSAT substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique. Films grown with 5−15% La doping and a critical growth pressure of 1−10 mTorr showed high transparency (>70−95%) in the

Application of hydrogen-doped In2O3 transparent conductive oxide to thin-film microcrystalline Si solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koida, Takashi; Sai, Hitoshi; Kondo, Michio

2010-01-01

Hydrogen-doped In 2 O 3 (IO:H) films with high electron mobility and improved near-infrared (NIR) transparency have been applied as a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) electrode in substrate-type hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) solar cells. The incorporation of IO:H, instead of conventional Sn-doped In 2 O 3 , improved the short-circuit current density (J sc ) and the resulting conversion efficiency. Optical analysis of the solar cells and TCO films revealed that the improvement in J sc is due to the improved spectral sensitivity in the visible and NIR wavelengths by reduction of absorption loss caused by free carriers in the TCO films.

Structural and electrical properties of sputtering power and gas pressure on Ti-dope In2O3 transparent conductive films by RF magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Chaoumead, Accarat; Joo, Bong-Hyun; Kwak, Dong-Joo; Sung, Youl-Moon

2013-06-01

Transparent conductive titanium-doped indium oxide (ITiO) films were deposited on Corning glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering method. The effects of RF sputtering power and Ar gas pressure on the structural and electrical properties of the films were investigated experimentally, using a 2.5 wt% TiO2-doped In2O3 target. The deposition rate was in the range of around 20-60 nm/min under the experimental conditions of 5-20 mTorr of gas pressure and 220-350 W of RF power. The lowest resistivity of 1.2 × 10-4 Ω cm, the average optical transmittance of 75%, the high hall mobility of 47.03 cm2/V s and the relatively low carrier concentration of 1.15E+21 cm-3 were obtained for the ITiO film, prepared at RF power of 300 W and Ar gas pressure of 15 mTorr. This resistivity of 1.2 × 10-4 Ω cm is low enough as a transparent conducting layer in various electro-optical devices and it is comparable with that of ITO or ZnO:Al conducting layer.

Transparent conductive Ga-doped ZnO films fabricated by MOCVD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Behrends, Arne; Wagner, Alexander; Al-Suleiman, Mohamed Aid Mansur; Waag, Andreas; Bakin, Andrey [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, University of Technology Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Str. 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Lugauer, Hans-Juergen; Strassburg, Martin; Walter, Robert; Weimar, Andreas [OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH, Leibnizstr. 4, 93055 Regensburg (Germany)

2012-04-15

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) are used for a variety of different applications, e.g., in solar cells and light emitting diodes (LEDs). Mostly, sputtering is used, which often results in a degradation of the underlying semiconductor material. In this work we report on a ''soft'' method for the fabrication of ZnO films as TCO layers by using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at particularly low temperatures. The MOCVD approach has been studied focusing on the TCO key issues: fabrication temperature, morphology, optical, and electrical properties. Very smooth ZnO films with rms values down to 0.8 nm were fabricated at a substrate temperature of only 300 C. Ga-doping is well controllable even for high carrier concentrations up to 2 x 10{sup 20} cm{sup -3}, which is above the Mott-density leading to metallic-like behavior of the films. Furthermore all films show excellent optical transparency in the visible spectral range. As a consequence, our MOCVD approach is well suited for the soft fabrication of ZnO-based TCO layers. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

EDITORIAL: On display with transparent conducting films On display with transparent conducting films

Science.gov (United States)

Demming, Anna

2012-03-01

Transparent conducting films were already featuring in scientific literature over one hundred years ago. In 1894 Aryton and Mather described a conducting varnish for coating the screens of electric apparatus so they would not charge when accidentally brushed by a coat sleeve or other material [1]. Their method began with a similar approach to that used to make savoury jellies; by dissolving gelatine in vinegar, after which less palatable ingredients were incorporated including sulphuric acid and an antisulphuric enamel. While the search for transparent conducting films continued to attract other researchers, the same problem remained: the transparency would be compromised if the film was too thick, and the conductivity would be compromised if the film was too thin. In the early 1950s Gillham and Preston reported that thin gold films sputtered on bismuth oxide and heated resulted in a material that successfully combined the previously mutually exclusive properties of transparency and conductivity [2]. Other oxide films were also found to favourably combine these properties, including tin oxide, as reported by Ishiguro and colleagues in Japan in 1958 [3]. Today tin oxide doped with indium (ITO) has become the industry standard for transparent conducting films in a range of applications including photovoltaic technology and displays. It is perhaps the mounting ubiquity of electronic displays as a result of the increasingly digitised and computerised environment of the modern day world that has begun to underline the main drawback of ITO: expense. In this issue, a collaboration of researchers in Korea present an overview of graphene as a transparent conducting material with the potential to replace ITO in a range of electronic and optoelectronic applications [4]. One of the first innovations in optical microscopy was the use of dyes. This principle first came into practice with the use of ultraviolet light to reveal previously indistinguishable features. As explained

Highly transparent and conductive Sn/F and Al co-doped ZnO thin films prepared by sol–gel method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan, Zhanchang; Luo, Junming; Tian, Xinlong; Wu, Shoukun; Chen, Chun; Deng, Jianfeng; Xiao, Chumin; Hu, Guanghui; Wei, Zhigang

2014-01-01

Highlights: • F/Sn and Al co-doped ZnO thin films were synthesized by sol–gel method. • The co-doped nanocrystals exhibit good crystal quality. • The origin of the photoluminescence emissions was discussed. • The films showed high transmittance and low resistivity. -- Abstract: Al doped ZnO, Al–Sn co-doped ZnO and Al–F co-doped ZnO nanocrystals were successfully synthesized onto glass substrates by the sol–gel method. The structure and morphology of the films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results indicated that all the films were polycrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and exhibited a c-axis preferred orientation. The electrical and optical properties were also investigated by 4-point probe device and Uv–vis spectroscopy, room temperature photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectrum (Raman), respectively. The PL and Raman results suggested that the co-doped films with a very low defect concentration and exhibit a better crystallinity than AZO thin films. The XPS study confirmed the incorporation of Al, Sn and F ions in the ZnO lattice

Study on the optical and electrical properties of tetracyanoethylene doped bilayer graphene stack for transparent conducting electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Limbu, Tej B.; Barrionuevo, Danilo; Katiyar, Ram S.; Morell, Gerardo; Mendoza, Frank; Carpena, Jennifer; Maruyama, Benji; Weiner, Brad R.

2016-01-01

We report the optical and electrical properties of chemically-doped bilayer graphene stack by tetracyanoethylene, a strong electron acceptor. The Tetracyanoethylene doping on the bilayer graphene via charge transfer was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and Infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. Doped graphene shows a significant increase in the sheet carrier concentration of up to 1.520 × 10"1"3 cm"−"2 with a concomitant reduction of the sheet resistance down to 414.1 Ω/sq. The high optical transmittance (ca. 84%) in the visible region in combination with the low sheet resistance of the Tetracyanoethylene-doped bilayer graphene stack opens up the possibility of making transparent conducting electrodes for practical applications.

Antireflective conducting nanostructures with an atomic layer deposited an AlZnO layer on a transparent substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Hyun-Woo; Ji, Seungmuk; Herdini, Diptya Suci; Lim, Hyuneui; Park, Jin-Seong; Chung, Kwun-Bum

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We investigated the antireflective conducting nanostructures on a transparent substrate using atomic layer deposited AlZnO films. • The conformal AlZnO layer on a transparent nanostructured substrate exhibited 5.52 × 10 −4 Ω cm in resistivity and 88% in average visible transmittance. • The improvement of transparency was explained by the gradual changes of the refractive index in the film depth direction. • The decrease in electrical resistivity is strongly correlated to the increased surface area with the nanostructure and the change of chemical bonding states. - Abstract: The antireflective conducting nanostructures on a transparent substrate were shown to have enhanced optical and electrical properties via colloidal lithography and atomic layer deposition. The conformal AlZnO layer on a transparent nanostructured substrate exhibited 5.52 × 10 −4 Ω cm in resistivity and 88% in average visible transmittance, both of which were superior to those of a flat transparent conducting substrate. The improvement of transparency was explained by the gradual changes of the refractive index in the film depth direction. The decrease in electrical resistivity is strongly correlated to the increased surface area with the nanostructure and the change of chemical bonding states.

Improvement of the optoelectronic properties of tin oxide transparent conductive thin films through lanthanum doping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mrabet, C., E-mail: chokri.mrabet@hotmail.com; Boukhachem, A.; Amlouk, M.; Manoubi, T.

2016-05-05

This work highlights some physical investigations on tin oxide thin films doped with different lanthanum content (ratio La–to-Sn = 0–3%). Such doped thin films have been successfully grown by spray pyrolysis onto glass substrates at 450 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that SnO{sub 2}:La thin films were polycrystalline with tetragonal crystal structure. The preferred orientation of crystallites for undoped SnO{sub 2} thin film was along (110) plane, whereas La-doped ones have rather preferential orientations along (200) direction. Although the grain size values exhibited a decreasing tendency with increasing doping content confirming the role of La as a grain growth inhibitor, dislocation density and microstrain values showed an increasing tendency. Also, Raman spectroscopy shows the bands corresponding to the tetragonal structure for the entire range of La doping. The same technique confirms the presence of La{sub 2}O{sub 3} as secondary phase. Moreover, SEM images showed a porous architecture with presence of big clusters with different sizes and shapes resulting from the agglomeration of small grains round shaped. Photoluminescence spectra of SnO{sub 2}:La thin films exhibit a decrease in the emission intensity with La concentration due to the decrease in grain size. Optical transmittance spectra of the films showed high transparency (∼80%) in the visible region. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed using both Cauchy model and Wemple–Di-Domenico method. The optical band gap values vary slightly with La doping and were found to be around 3.8 eV. It has been found that La doping causes a pronounced decrease in the sheet resistance by up to two orders of magnitude and allows improving the Haacke's figure of merit (Φ) of the sprayed thin films. Moreover, we have introduced for a first time a new figure of merit for qualifying photo-thermal conversion applications. The obtained high conducting and transparent SnO{sub 2}:La

Transparent conducting Al-doped ZnO thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering with dc and rf powers applied in combination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minami, Tadatsugu; Ohtani, Yuusuke; Miyata, Toshihiro; Kuboi, Takeshi

2007-01-01

A newly developed Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin-film magnetron-sputtering deposition technique that decreases resistivity, improves resistivity distribution, and produces high-rate depositions has been demonstrated by dc magnetron-sputtering depositions that incorporate rf power (dc+rf-MS), either with or without the introduction of H 2 gas into the deposition chamber. The dc+rf-MS preparations were carried out in a pure Ar or an Ar+H 2 (0%-2%) gas atmosphere at a pressure of 0.4 Pa by adding a rf component (13.56 MHz) to a constant dc power of 80 W. The deposition rate in a dc+rf-MS deposition incorporating a rf power of 150 W was approximately 62 nm/min, an increase from the approximately 35 nm/min observed in dc magnetron sputtering with a dc power of 80 W. A resistivity as low as 3x10 -4 Ω cm and an improved resistivity distribution could be obtained in AZO thin films deposited on substrates at a low temperature of 150 deg. C by dc+rf-MS with the introduction of hydrogen gas with a content of 1.5%. This article describes the effects of adding a rf power component (i.e., dc+rf-MS deposition) as well as introducing H 2 gas into dc magnetron-sputtering preparations of transparent conducting AZO thin films

Influence of the ``second gap'' on the optical absorption of transparent conducting oxides

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Viet-Anh; Waroquiers, David; Rignanese, Gian-Marco; Hautier, Geoffroy

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are critical to many technologies (e.g., thin-film solar cells, flat-panel displays or organic light-emitting diodes). TCOs are heavily doped (n or p-type) oxides that satisfy many design criteria such as high transparency to visible light (i.e., a band gap > 3 eV), high concentration and mobility of carriers (leading to high conductivity), ... In such (highly doped) systems, optical transitions from the conduction band minimum to higher energy bands in n-type or from lower energy bands to the valence band maximum in p-type are possible and can degrade transparency. In fact, it has been claimed that a high energy (> 3eV) for any of these transitions made possible by doping, commonly referred as a high ``second gap'', is a necessary design criterion for high performance TCOs. Here, we study the influence of this second gap on the transparency of doped TCOs by using ab initio calculations within the random phase approximation (RPA) for several well-known p-type and n-type TCOs. Our work highlights how the second gap affects the transparency of doped TCOs, shining light on more accurate design criteria for high performance TCOs.

Determination of chemical state of Al doping element in ZnO layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Csik, A.; Toth, J.; Lovics, R.; Takats, V.; Hakl, J.; Vad, K.

2011-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. Transparent and conducting oxides (TCO) thin films are very important from the scientific and technological point of view. The coexistence of electrical conductivity and optical transparency in these materials makes it possible to use them in modern technologies: transparent electrodes for flat panel displays and photovoltaic cells, low emissivity windows, transparent thin films transistors, light emitting diodes. One of the important TCO semiconductors is the impurity-doped zinc-oxide (ZnO) layer, for example aluminium doped zinc-oxide layer (AZO), due to its unique physical and chemical properties. It has wide band gap (3.44 eV) and large exciton binding energy (60 meV). ZnO thin layers have a great interest for potential applications in optical and optoelectronic devices. Furthermore, high quality single crystal ZnO wafers has already been available as a result of new developments in ZnO growth technologies with the capability to scale up wafer size, which is an important factor for increasing efficiency of solar cells. Nonetheless, in order to enable the use of ZnO layers with enhanced electrical properties, higher conductivities can be obtained by doping with donor elements such as aluminium, gallium, indium, boron or fluorine. Investigation of p-type doping possibilities, diffusion processes and thermal stability of these layers are in the focus of interest in the interpretation of their optical and electrical properties, and the prediction of their lifetime. In our SNMS/SIMS-XPS laboratory, experiments on TCO layered structures were carried on. Depth profile and chemical state analyses of ZnO/AlO/ZnO layered structures were performed by Secondary Neutral Mass Spectrometry (SNMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The samples were produced by atomic layer deposition technique with the following layered structure: between a few hundred atomic layers of ZnO was an AlO atomic layer. The SNMS was used for depth

Auto-combustion synthesis and characterization of Mg doped CuAlO{sub 2} nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agrawal, Shraddha, E-mail: shraddhaa32@gmail.com; Parveen, Azra; Naqvi, A. H. [Centre of Excellence in Materials Science (Nanomaterials), Department of Applied Physics, Z.H. College of Engg.& Technology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202002 (India)

2015-06-24

The synthesis of pure and Mg doped Copper aluminumoxide CuAlO{sub 2}nanoparticles, a promising p-type TCO (transparent conducting oxide) have been done bysol gel auto combustion method using NaOH as a fuel, calcinated at 600°C. The structural properties were examined by XRD and SEM techniques. The optical absorption spectra of CuAlO{sub 2} sample recorded by UV-VIS spectrophotometer in the range of 200 to 800 nm have been presented. The crystallite size was determined by powder X-ray diffraction technique. The electrical behavior of pure and Mg doped CuAlO{sub 2} has been studied over a wide range of frequencies by using complex impedance spectroscopy.The variation of a.c. conductivity has been studied as function of frequency and temperature. The data taken together conclude that doping causes decreases in the ac conductivity of the nanoparticles as compared with the pure nanoparticles. Mg doping affects the optical properties and band gap.

Cu mesh for flexible transparent conductive electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Won-Kyung; Lee, Seunghun; Hee Lee, Duck; Hee Park, In; Seong Bae, Jong; Woo Lee, Tae; Kim, Ji-Young; Hun Park, Ji; Chan Cho, Yong; Ryong Cho, Chae; Jeong, Se-Young

2015-06-03

Copper electrodes with a micromesh/nanomesh structure were fabricated on a polyimide substrate using UV lithography and wet etching to produce flexible transparent conducting electrodes (TCEs). Well-defined mesh electrodes were realized through the use of high-quality Cu thin films. The films were fabricated using radio-frequency (RF) sputtering with a single-crystal Cu target--a simple but innovative approach that overcame the low oxidation resistance of ordinary Cu. Hybrid Cu mesh electrodes were fabricated by adding a capping layer of either ZnO or Al-doped ZnO. The sheet resistance and the transmittance of the electrode with an Al-doped ZnO capping layer were 6.197 ohm/sq and 90.657%, respectively, and the figure of merit was 60.502 × 10(-3)/ohm, which remained relatively unchanged after thermal annealing at 200 °C and 1,000 cycles of bending. This fabrication technique enables the mass production of large-area flexible TCEs, and the stability and high performance of Cu mesh hybrid electrodes in harsh environments suggests they have strong potential for application in smart displays and solar cells.

Sputtered tin oxide and titanium oxide thin films as alternative transparent conductive oxides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boltz, Janika

2011-12-12

Alternative transparent conductive oxides to tin doped indium oxide have been investigated. In this work, antimony doped tin oxide and niobium doped titanium oxide have been studied with the aim to prepare transparent and conductive films. Antimony doped tin oxide and niobium doped titanium oxide belong to different groups of oxides; tin oxide is a soft oxide, while titanium oxide is a hard oxide. Both oxides are isolating materials, in case the stoichiometry is SnO{sub 2} and TiO{sub 2}. In order to achieve transparent and conductive films free carriers have to be generated by oxygen vacancies, by metal ions at interstitial positions in the crystal lattice or by cation doping with Sb or Nb, respectively. Antimony doped tin oxide and niobium doped titanium oxide films have been prepared by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering (dc MS) from metallic targets. The process parameters and the doping concentration in the films have been varied. The films have been electrically, optically and structurally analysed in order to analyse the influence of the process parameters and the doping concentration on the film properties. Post-deposition treatments of the films have been performed in order to improve the film properties. For the deposition of transparent and conductive tin oxide, the dominant parameter during the deposition is the oxygen content in the sputtering gas. The Sb incorporation as doping atoms has a minor influence on the electrical, optical and structural properties. Within a narrow oxygen content in the sputtering gas highly transparent and conductive tin oxide films have been prepared. In this study, the lowest resistivity in the as deposited state is 2.9 m{omega} cm for undoped tin oxide without any postdeposition treatment. The minimum resistivity is related to a transition to crystalline films with the stoichiometry of SnO{sub 2}. At higher oxygen content the films turn out to have a higher resistivity due to an oxygen excess. After post

Highly transparent and conducting boron doped zinc oxide films for window of Dye Sensitized Solar Cell applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Vinod, E-mail: vinod.phy@gmail.com [Materials Science Group, Inter University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067 (India); Department of Physics, Gurukula Kangri University, Haridwar 249404 (India); Singh, R.G. [Department of Electronic Science, Maharaja Agrasen College University of Delhi, New Delhi 110096 (India); Singh, Fouran [Materials Science Group, Inter University Accelerator Centre, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi 110067 (India); Purohit, L.P. [Department of Physics, Gurukula Kangri University, Haridwar 249404 (India)

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Synthesis of Boron doped ZnO (ZnO:B) films. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Minimum of resistivity is observed to be 7.9 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} {Omega} cm. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Maximum transmittance {approx}91% for 450 Degree-Sign C annealed films. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Applicable for window materials in Dye Sensitized Solar Cell. - Abstract: Highly transparent and conducting boron doped zinc oxide (ZnO:B) films grown by sol-gel method are reported. The annealing temperature is varied from 350 to 550 Degree-Sign C and doping concentration of boron is kept fixed for 0.6 at.% for all the films. At low temperature the stress in the films is compressive, which becomes tensile for the films annealed at higher temperature. A minimum resistivity of 7.9 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} {Omega} cm and maximum transmittance of {approx}91% are observed for the film annealed at 450 Degree-Sign C. This could be attributed to minimum stress of films, which is further evident by the evolution of A{sub 1} and defect related Raman modes without any shifting in its position. Such kind of highly transparent and conducting ZnO:B thin film could be used as window material in Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC).

Preparation and luminescence properties of Eu{sup 2+}doped {gamma}-aluminum oxynitride transparent ceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Fang; Yuan, Xianyuan; Wang, Shaohua [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai (China); Wang, Shiwei, E-mail: swwang51@mail.sic.ac.cn [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1295 Dingxi Road, Shanghai (China)

2013-01-15

Eu{sup 2+} doped {gamma}-AlON transparent ceramics have been prepared by the solid-state reaction sintering method. The influences of Eu concentration on both strength, transparency and luminescence properties of the as-prepared samples were discussed. The strength and transparency decreased as Eu content increased. Two bands were observed in the emission spectrum of each sample. One (B{sub 1}) was narrow and centered at around 401 nm, the other (B{sub 2}) was comparatively broader, and the location of its center as well as the intensity ratio of peak values of B{sub 2} to that of B{sub 1} varied with Eu content. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Eu{sub 2}O{sub 3} was an effective sintering aid in fabrication of transparent {gamma}-AlON ceramics. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Eu-doped transparent {gamma}-AlON ceramics exhibited broad emission spectra composed of two bands. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The relationship between crystal position of Eu{sup 2+} ions and luminescent properties was given.

Comparative investigation on cation-cation (Al-Sn) and cation-anion (Al-F) co-doping in RF sputtered ZnO thin films: Mechanistic insight

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mallick, Arindam; Basak, Durga, E-mail: sspdb@iacs.res.in

2017-07-15

Highlights: • Comparative study on Al, Al-Sn and Al-F doped ZnO films has been carried out. • High transparent Al-F co-doped film shows three times enhanced carrier density. • Al-F co-doped film shows larger carrier relaxation time. • Al-Sn co-doped films shows carrier transport dominated by impurity scattering. • Al-F co-doped ZnO film can be applied as transparent electrode. - Abstract: Herein, we report a comparative mechanistic study on cation-cation (Al-Sn) and cation-anion (Al-F) co-doped nanocrystalline ZnO thin films grown on glass substrate by RF sputtering technique. Through detailed analyses of crystal structure, surface morphology, microstructure, UV-VIS-NIR transmission-reflection and electrical transport property, the inherent characteristics of the co-doped films were revealed and compared. All the nanocrystalline films retain the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO and show transparency above 90% in the visible and NIR region. As opposed to expectation, Al-Sn (ATZO) co-doped film show no enhanced carrier concentration consistent with the probable formation of SnO{sub 2} clusters supported by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study. Most interestingly, it has been found that Al-F (AFZO) co-doped film shows three times enhanced carrier concentration as compared to Al doped and Al-Sn co-doped films attaining a value of ∼9 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} due to the respective cation and anion substitution. The carrier relaxation time increases in AFZO while it decreases significantly for ATZO film consistent with the concurrence of the impurity scattering in the latter.

Characterization of a new transparent-conducting material of ZnO doped ITO thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, H. M.

2005-11-01

Thin films of indium tin oxide (ITO) doped with zinc oxide have the remarkable properties of being conductive yet still highly transparent in the visible and near-IR spectral ranges. The Electron beam deposi- tion technique is one of the simplest and least expensive ways of preparing. High-quality ITO thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by Electron beam evaporation technique. The effect of doping and substrate deposition temperature was found to have a significant effect on the structure, electrical and optical properties of ZnO doped ITO films. The average optical transmittance has been increased with in- creasing the substrate temperature. The maximum value of transmittance is greater than 84% in the visible region and 85% in the NIR region obtained for film with Zn/ITO = 0.13 at substrate temperature 200 °C. The dielectric constant, average excitation energy for electronic transitions (E o), the dispersion energy (E d), the long wavelength refractive index (n ), average oscillator wave length ( o) and oscillator strength S o for the thin films were determined and presented in this work.

Ultraviolet laser crystallized ZnO:Al films on sapphire with high Hall mobility for simultaneous enhancement of conductivity and transparency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nian, Qiong; Zhang, Martin Y.; Schwartz, Bradley D.; Cheng, Gary J.

2014-01-01

One of the most challenging issues in transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) is to improve their conductivity without compromising transparency. High conductivity in TCO films often comes from a high carrier concentration, which is detrimental to transparency due to free carrier absorption. Here we show that UV laser crystallization (UVLC) of aluminum-doped ZnO (AZO) films prepared by pulsed laser deposition on sapphire results in much higher Hall mobility, allowing relaxation of the constraints of the conductivity/transparency trade-off. X-ray diffraction patterns and morphological characterizations show grain growth and crystallinity enhancement during UVLC, resulting in less film internal imperfections. Optoelectronic measurements show that UVLC dramatically improves the electron mobility, while the carrier concentration decreases which in turn simultaneously increases conductivity and transparency. AZO films under optimized UVLC achieve the highest electron mobility of 79 cm 2 /V s at a low carrier concentration of 7.9 × 10 +19  cm −3 . This is realized by a laser crystallization induced decrease of both grain boundary density and electron trap density at grain boundaries. The infrared (IR) to mid-IR range transmittance spectrum shows UVLC significantly enhances the AZO film transparency without compromising conductivity.

ZnO-Based Transparent Conductive Thin Films: Doping, Performance, and Processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Y.; Li, Y.; Zeng, H.

2013-01-01

ZnO-based transparent conductive thin films have attracted much attention as a promising substitute material to the currently used indium-tin-oxide thin films in transparent electrode applications. However, the detailed function of the dopants, acting on the electrical and optical properties of ZnO-based transparent conductive thin films, is not clear yet, which has limited the development and practical applications of ZnO transparent conductive thin films. Growth conditions such as substrate type, growth temperature, and ambient atmosphere all play important roles in structural, electrical, and optical properties of films. This paper takes a panoramic view on properties of ZnO thin films and reviews the very recent works on new, efficient, low-temperature, and high-speed deposition technologies. In addition, we highlighted the methods of producing ZnO-based transparent conductive film on flexible substrate, one of the most promising and rapidly emerging research areas. As optimum-processing-parameter conditions are being obtained and their influencing mechanism is becoming clear, we can see that there will be a promising future for ZnO-based transparent conductive films.

Development of transparent conductive indium and fluorine co-doped ZnO thin films: Effect of F concentration and post-annealing temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hadri, A. [University Mohammed V, Faculty of Sciences, Physics Department, LPM, B.P. 1014, Rabat (Morocco); Taibi, M. [University of Mohammed V, LPCMIN, Ecole Normale Superieure, Rabat (Morocco); Loghmarti, M.; Nassiri, C.; Slimani Tlemçani, T. [University Mohammed V, Faculty of Sciences, Physics Department, LPM, B.P. 1014, Rabat (Morocco); Mzerd, A., E-mail: mzerd@yahoo.fr [University Mohammed V, Faculty of Sciences, Physics Department, LPM, B.P. 1014, Rabat (Morocco)

2016-02-29

In the present work ZnO, In doped ZnO and In-F co-doped ZnO (IFZO) films were synthesized on heated glass substrates (350 °C) by the chemical spray technique. The effect of fluorine concentration on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties was studied. It was observed from X-ray diffraction (XRD) that the films have a polycrystalline structure and the intensity of the peaks depend on the doping and co-doping concentration. No diffraction peak related to dopants in XRD patterns along with shift in peaks angles to ZnO proved that In and F ions were doped into ZnO thin films. The Raman spectra confirm the hexagonal structure of the as-deposited films, and demonstrated an enhancement of the surface phonon mode of doped and co-doped films as compared to undoped films. The as-deposited films showed an average transmittance above 70%, in the wavelength range of 400–800 nm. A minimum electrical resistivity, in the order of 5.2 × 10{sup −} {sup 2} Ω cm was obtained for the IFZO thin film with 5 at.% F doping. Moreover, the electrical properties of doped and co-doped films were enhanced after post-deposition annealing. It was found that post-annealed thin films at 350 °C showed a decrease of one order of magnitude of the resistivity values. Such a transparent and conducting thin film can be suitable for optical and electrical applications owing to their low resistivity combined with high transmittance in the visible range. - Highlights: • Conductive transparent ZnO, IZO, IFZO thin films were deposited by spray pyrolysis. • Doping and co-doping affect morphology and optoelectrical properties. • As deposited film with high fluorine content exhibited high carrier mobility (55 cm{sup 2} V{sup −} {sup 1} s{sup −} {sup 1}). • Correlation between intrinsic defects and carrier mobility was observed. • Post-annealing in Ar atmosphere improves conductivity.

Roughness-based monitoring of transparency and conductivity in boron-doped ZnO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaikwad, Rajendra S.; Bhande, Sambhaji S.; Mane, Rajaram S.; Pawar, Bhagwat N.; Gaikwad, Sanjay L.; Han, Sung-Hwan; Joo, Oh-Shim

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► We report surface roughness dependent transparency and conductivity in ZnO films. ► The surface roughness with respected to boron doping concentrations is studied. ► Boron doped and pristine Zinc oxide thin films have showed ≥95% transmittance. ► Increased carrier concentration of 9.21 × 10 21 cm −3 revealed from Hall measurement. -- Abstract: Sprayed polycrystalline ZnO and boron-doped ZnO thin films composed of spherical grains of 25–32 nm in diameters are used in roughness measurement and further correlated with the transparency and the conductivity characteristics. The surface roughness is increased up to Zn 0.98 B 0.02 O and then declined at higher boron concentrations. The sprayed ZnO films revealed ≥95% transmittance in the visible wavelength range, 1.956 × 10 −4 Ω cm electrical resistivity, 46 cm 2 /V s Hall mobility and 9.21 × 10 21 cm −3 charge carrier concentration. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study has confirmed 0.15 eV binding energy change for Zn 2p 3/2 when 2 at% boron content is mixed without altering electro-optical properties substantially. Finally, using soft modeling importance of these textured ZnO over non-textured films for enhancing the solar cells performance is explored.

Nitrogen grain-boundary passivation of In-doped ZnO transparent conducting oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, D.; Butt, M. Z.; Coughlan, C.; Caffrey, D.; Shvets, I. V.; Fleischer, K.

2018-04-01

We have investigated the properties and conduction limitations of spray pyrolysis grown, low-cost transparent conducting oxide ZnO thin films doped with indium. We analyze the optical, electrical, and crystallographic properties as functions of In content with a specific focus on postgrowth heat treatment of these thin films at 320 ∘C in an inert, nitrogen atmosphere, which improves the films electrical properties considerably. The effect was found to be dominated by nitrogen-induced grain-boundary passivation, identified by a combined study using i n situ resistance measurement upon annealing, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and x-ray diffraction studies. We also highlight the chemical mechanism of morphologic and crystallographic changes found in films with high indium content. By optimizing growth conditions according to these findings, ZnO:In with a resistivity as low as 2 ×10 -3Ω cm , high optical quality (T ≈90 % ), and sheet resistance of 32 Ω /□ has been obtained without any need for postgrowth treatments.

Pulsed laser deposited Al-doped ZnO thin films for optical applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gurpreet Kaur

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Highly transparent and conducting Al-doped ZnO (Al:ZnO thin films were grown on glass substrates using pulsed laser deposition technique. The profound effect of film thickness on the structural, optical and electrical properties of Al:ZnO thin films was observed. The X-ray diffraction depicts c-axis, plane (002 oriented thin films with hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. Al-doping in ZnO introduces a compressive stress in the films which increase with the film thickness. AFM images reveal the columnar grain formation with low surface roughness. The versatile optical properties of Al:ZnO thin films are important for applications such as transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI shielding materials and solar cells. The obtained optical band gap (3.2–3.08 eV was found to be less than pure ZnO (3.37 eV films. The lowering in the band gap in Al:ZnO thin films could be attributed to band edge bending phenomena. The photoluminescence spectra gives sharp visible emission peaks, enables Al:ZnO thin films for light emitting devices (LEDs applications. The current–voltage (I–V measurements show the ohmic behavior of the films with resistivity (ρ~10−3 Ω cm.

ZnO based transparent conductive oxide films with controlled type of conduction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zaharescu, M., E-mail: mzaharescu@icf.ro [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Mihaiu, S., E-mail: smihaiu@icf.ro [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Toader, A. [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Atkinson, I., E-mail: irinaatkinson@yahoo.com [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Calderon-Moreno, J.; Anastasescu, M.; Nicolescu, M.; Duta, M.; Gartner, M. [Institute of Physical Chemistry “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania); Vojisavljevic, K.; Malic, B. [Institute Jožef Stefan, Ljubljana (Slovenia); Ivanov, V.A.; Zaretskaya, E.P. [State Scientific and Production Association “Scientific-Practical Materials Research Center of the National Academy of Science Belarus, P. Brovska str.19, 220072, Minsk (Belarus)

2014-11-28

The transparent conductive oxide films with controlled type of conduction are of great importance and their preparation is intensively studied. In our work, the preparation of such films based on doped ZnO was realized in order to achieve controlled type of conduction and high concentration of the charge carriers. Sol–gel method was used for films preparation and several dopants were tested (Sn, Li, Ni). Multilayer deposition was performed on several substrates: SiO{sub 2}/Si wafers, silica-soda-lime and/or silica glasses. The structural and morphological characterization of the obtained films were done by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy respectively, while spectroscopic ellipsometry and transmittance measurements were done for determination of optical properties. The selected samples with the best structural, morphological and optical properties were subjected to electrical measurement (Hall and Seebeck effect). In all studied cases, samples with good adherence and homogeneous morphology as well as monophasic wurtzite type structure were obtained. The optical constants (refractive index and extinction coefficient) were calculated from spectroscopic ellipsometry data using Cauchy model. Films with n- or p-type conduction were obtained depending on the composition, number of deposition and thermal treatment temperature. - Highlights: • Transparent conductive ZnO based thin films were prepared by the sol–gel method. • Controlled type of conduction is obtained in (Sn, Li) doped and Li-Ni co-doped ZnO films. • Hall and Seebeck measurements proved the p-type conductivity for Li-Ni co-doped ZnO films. • The p-type conductivity was maintained even after 4-months of storage. • Influence of dopant- and substrate-type on the ZnO films properties was established.

Versatile and Tunable Transparent Conducting Electrodes Based on Doped Graphene

KAUST Repository

Mansour, Ahmed

2016-01-01

Herein, we explore non-covalent doping routes of CVD FLG, such as surface doping, intercalation and combination thereof, through in-depth and systematic characterization of the electrical transport properties and energy levels shifts. The intercalation of FLG with Br2 and FeCl3 is demonstrated, showing the highest improvements of the figure of merit of TCEs of any doping scheme, which results from up to a five-fold increase in conductivity while maintaining the transmittance within 3% of that for the pristine value. Importantly the intercalation yields TCEs that are air-stable, due to encapsulation of the intercalant in the bulk of FLG. Surface doping with novel solution-processed metal-organic molecular species (n- and p-type) is demonstrated with an unprecedented range of work function modulation, resulting from electron transfer and the formation of molecular surface dipoles. However, the conductivity increases compared modestly to intercalation as the electron transfer is limited to the uppermost graphene layers. Finally, a novel and universal multi-modal doping strategy is developed, thanks to the unique platform offered by FLG, where surface and intercalation doping are combined to mutually achieve high conductivity with an extended tunability of the work function. This work presents doped-FLG as a prospective and versatile candidate among emerging TCEs, given the need for efficient and stable doping routes capable of controllably tuning its properties to meet the criteria of a broad range of applications.

Textured surface structures formed using new techniques on transparent conducting Al-doped zinc oxide films prepared by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minami, Tadatsugu; Miyata, Toshihiro; Uozaki, Ryousuke; Sai, Hitoshi; Koida, Takashi

2016-01-01

Surface-textured Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films formed using two new techniques based on magnetron sputtering deposition were developed by optimizing the light scattering properties to be suitable for transparent electrode applications in thin-film silicon solar cells. Scrambled egg-like surface-textured AZO films were prepared using a new texture formation technique that post-etched pyramidal surface-textured AZO films prepared under deposition conditions suppressing c-axis orientation. In addition, double surface-textured AZO films were prepared using another new texture formation technique that completely removed, by post-etching, the pyramidal surface-textured AZO films previously prepared onto the initially deposited low resistivity AZO films; simultaneously, the surface of the low resistivity films was slightly etched. However, the obtained very high haze value in the range from the near ultraviolet to visible light in the scrambled egg-like surface-textured AZO films did not contribute significantly to the obtainable photovoltaic properties in the solar cells fabricated using the films. Significant light scattering properties as well as a low sheet resistance could be achieved in the double surface-textured AZO films. In addition, a significant improvement of external quantum efficiency in the range from the near ultraviolet to visible light was achieved in superstrate-type n-i-p μc-Si:H solar cells fabricated using a double surface-textured AZO film prepared under optimized conditions as the transparent electrode. - Highlights: • Double surface-textured AZO films prepared using a new texture formation technique • Extensive light scattering properties with low sheet resistance achieved in the double surface-textured AZO films • Improved external quantum efficiency of μc-Si:H solar cells using a double surface-textured AZO film

Textured surface structures formed using new techniques on transparent conducting Al-doped zinc oxide films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minami, Tadatsugu [Optoelectronic Device System R& D Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan); Miyata, Toshihiro, E-mail: tmiyata@neptune.kanazawa-it.ac.jp [Optoelectronic Device System R& D Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan); Uozaki, Ryousuke [Optoelectronic Device System R& D Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan); Sai, Hitoshi; Koida, Takashi [Research Center for Photovoltaics, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan)

2016-09-01

Surface-textured Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films formed using two new techniques based on magnetron sputtering deposition were developed by optimizing the light scattering properties to be suitable for transparent electrode applications in thin-film silicon solar cells. Scrambled egg-like surface-textured AZO films were prepared using a new texture formation technique that post-etched pyramidal surface-textured AZO films prepared under deposition conditions suppressing c-axis orientation. In addition, double surface-textured AZO films were prepared using another new texture formation technique that completely removed, by post-etching, the pyramidal surface-textured AZO films previously prepared onto the initially deposited low resistivity AZO films; simultaneously, the surface of the low resistivity films was slightly etched. However, the obtained very high haze value in the range from the near ultraviolet to visible light in the scrambled egg-like surface-textured AZO films did not contribute significantly to the obtainable photovoltaic properties in the solar cells fabricated using the films. Significant light scattering properties as well as a low sheet resistance could be achieved in the double surface-textured AZO films. In addition, a significant improvement of external quantum efficiency in the range from the near ultraviolet to visible light was achieved in superstrate-type n-i-p μc-Si:H solar cells fabricated using a double surface-textured AZO film prepared under optimized conditions as the transparent electrode. - Highlights: • Double surface-textured AZO films prepared using a new texture formation technique • Extensive light scattering properties with low sheet resistance achieved in the double surface-textured AZO films • Improved external quantum efficiency of μc-Si:H solar cells using a double surface-textured AZO film.

Effect of annealing on silicon heterojunction solar cells with textured ZnO:Al as transparent conductive oxide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roca i Cabarrocas P.

2012-07-01

Full Text Available We report on silicon heterojunction solar cells using textured aluminum doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al as a transparent conductive oxide (TCO instead of flat indium tin oxide. Double side silicon heterojunction solar cell were fabricated by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition on high life time N-type float zone crystalline silicon wafers. On both sides of these cells we have deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering ZnO:Al layers of thickness ranging from 800 nm to 1400 nm. These TCO layers were then textured by dipping the samples in a 0.5% hydrochloric acid. External quantum efficiency as well as I-V under 1 sun illumination measurements showed an increase of the current for the cells using textured ZnO:Al. The cells were then annealed at 150 °C, 175 °C and 200 °C during 30 min in ambient atmosphere and characterized at each annealing step. The results show that annealing has no impact on the open circuit voltage of the devices but that up to a 175 °C it enhances their short circuit current, consistent with an overall enhancement of their spectral response. Our results suggest that ZnO:Al is a promising material to increase the short circuit current (Jsc while avoiding texturing the c-Si substrate.

THz characterization and demonstration of visible-transparent/terahertz-functional electromagnetic structures in ultra-conductive La-doped BaSnO3 Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Arezoomandan, Sara; Prakash, Abhinav; Chanana, Ashish; Yue, Jin; Mao, Jieying; Blair, Steve; Nahata, Ajay; Jalan, Bharat; Sensale-Rodriguez, Berardi

2018-02-23

We report on terahertz characterization of La-doped BaSnO 3 (BSO) thin-films. BSO is a transparent complex oxide material, which has attracted substantial interest due to its large electrical conductivity and wide bandgap. The complex refractive index of these films is extracted in the 0.3 to 1.5 THz frequency range, which shows a metal-like response across this broad frequency window. The large optical conductivity found in these films at terahertz wavelengths makes this material an interesting platform for developing electromagnetic structures having a strong response at terahertz wavelengths, i.e. terahertz-functional, while being transparent at visible and near-IR wavelengths. As an example of such application, we demonstrate a visible-transparent terahertz polarizer.

Highly transparent conductive electrode with ultra-low HAZE by grain boundary modification of aqueous solution fabricated alumina-doped zinc oxide nanocrystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nian, Qiong; Cheng, Gary J. [Birck Nanotechnology Center and School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 (United States); Callahan, Michael; Bailey, John [Greentech Solutions, Inc., Hanson, Massachusetts 02341 (United States); Look, David [Semiconductor Research Center, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio 45435 (United States); Efstathiadis, Harry [College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), University of Albany, Albany, New York 12203 (United States)

2015-06-01

Commercial production of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) polycrystalline films requires high electrical conductivity with minimal degradation in optical transparency. Aqueous solution deposited TCO films would reduce production costs of TCO films but suffer from low electrical mobility, which severely degrades both electrical conductivity and optical transparency in the visible spectrum. Here, we demonstrated that grain boundary modification by ultra-violet laser crystallization (UVLC) of solution deposited aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanocrystals results in high Hall mobility, with a corresponding dramatic improvement in AZO electrical conductance. The AZO films after laser irradiation exhibit electrical mobility up to 18.1 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1} with corresponding electrical resistivity and sheet resistances as low as 1 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm and 75 Ω/sq, respectively. The high mobility also enabled a high transmittance (T) of 88%-96% at 550 nm for the UVLC films. In addition, HAZE measurement shows AZO film scattering transmittance as low as 1.8%, which is superior over most other solution deposited transparent electrode alternatives such as silver nanowires. Thus, AZO films produced by the UVLC technique have a combined figure of merit for electrical conductivity, optical transparency, and optical HAZE higher than other solution based deposition techniques and comparable to vacuumed based deposition methods.

The thermoluminescence and optically stimulated luminescence properties of Cr-doped alpha alumina transparent ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Qiang; Yang, Qiu Hong; Zhao, Guang Gen; Lu, Shen Zhou; Zhang, Hao Jia

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Polycrystalline Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 transparent ceramics were obtained with vacuum sintering method. •The influence of different concentration of Cr 2 O 3 on the thermoluminescence and optical stimulated luminescence properties of Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 transparent ceramics was studied. •It had a main peak at 503 K of very high intensity and linear concentration dependence up to high concentration. •It showed so interesting results with high TL sensitivity and high stability of OSL signal that Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 transparent ceramics might be a promising material in TL dosimetry and replace Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 crystals. -- Abstract: Polycrystalline Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 transparent ceramics were fabricated by conventional solid-state processing under vacuum condition. The SEM microstructure photographs of Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 transparent ceramics doped with different content of Cr 2 O 3 were investigated. The absorption, emission spectra, thermoluminescence and optical stimulated luminescence of Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 transparent ceramics were comparable to those of Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 crystals. The influence of different concentration of Cr 2 O 3 on the thermoluminescence and optical stimulated luminescence properties of Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 transparent ceramics was discussed. It showed so interesting results with high TL sensitivity and high stability of OSL signal that Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 transparent ceramics might be a promising material in TL dosimetry and replace Cr:α-Al 2 O 3 crystals

Conduction electrons in acceptor-doped GaAs/GaAlAs heterostructures: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zawadzki, Wlodek; Raymond, Andre; Kubisa, Maciej

2016-01-01

We review magneto-optical and magneto-transport effects in GaAs/GaAlAs heterostructures doped in GaAlAs barriers with donors, providing two-dimensional (2D) electron gas (2DEG) in GaAs quantum wells (QWS), and additionally doped with smaller amounts of acceptors (mostly Be atoms) in the vicinity of 2DEG. One may also deal with residual acceptors (mostly C atoms). The behavior of such systems in the presence of a magnetic field differs appreciably from those doped in the vicinity of 2DEG with donors. Three subjects related to the acceptor-doped heterostructures are considered. First is the problem of bound states of conduction electrons confined to the vicinity of negatively charged acceptors by the joint effect of a QW and an external magnetic field parallel to the growth direction. A variational theory of such states is presented, demonstrating that an electron turning around a repulsive center has discrete energies above the corresponding Landau levels. Experimental evidence for the discrete electron energies comes from the work on interband photo-magneto-luminescence, intraband cyclotron resonance and quantum magneto-transport (the Quantum Hall and Shubnikov–de Haas effects). An electron rain-down effect at weak electric fields and a boil-off effect at strong electric fields are introduced. It is demonstrated, both theoretically and experimentally, that a negatively charged acceptor can localize more than one electron. The second subject describes experiment and theory of asymmetric quantized Hall and Shubnikov–de Haas plateaus in acceptor-doped GaAs/GaAlAs heterostructures. It is shown that the main features of the plateau asymmetry can be attributed to asymmetric density of Landau states in the presence of acceptors. However, at high magnetic fields, the rain-down effect is also at work. The third subject deals with the so-called disorder modes (DMs) in the cyclotron resonance of conduction electrons. The DMs originate from random distributions of

Graphene Transparent Conductive Electrodes for Next- Generation Microshutter Arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mary; Sultana, Mahmooda; Hess, Larry

2012-01-01

Graphene is a single atomic layer of graphite. It is optically transparent and has high electron mobility, and thus has great potential to make transparent conductive electrodes. This invention contributes towards the development of graphene transparent conductive electrodes for next-generation microshutter arrays. The original design for the electrodes of the next generation of microshutters uses indium-tin-oxide (ITO) as the electrode material. ITO is widely used in NASA flight missions. The optical transparency of ITO is limited, and the material is brittle. Also, ITO has been getting more expensive in recent years. The objective of the invention is to develop a graphene transparent conductive electrode that will replace ITO. An exfoliation procedure was developed to make graphene out of graphite crystals. In addition, large areas of single-layer graphene were produced using low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) with high optical transparency. A special graphene transport procedure was developed for transferring graphene from copper substrates to arbitrary substrates. The concept is to grow large-size graphene sheets using the LPCVD system through chemical reaction, transfer the graphene film to a substrate, dope graphene to reduce the sheet resistance, and pattern the film to the dimension of the electrodes in the microshutter array. Graphene transparent conductive electrodes are expected to have a transparency of 97.7%. This covers the electromagnetic spectrum from UV to IR. In comparison, ITO electrodes currently used in microshutter arrays have 85% transparency in mid-IR, and suffer from dramatic transparency drop at a wavelength of near-IR or shorter. Thus, graphene also has potential application as transparent conductive electrodes for Schottky photodiodes in the UV region.

CoO-doped MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-colored transparent glass-ceramics with high crystallinity

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Wufu; Zhang, Qian; Luo, Zhiwei; Yu, Jingbo; Gao, Xianglong; Li, Yunxing; Lu, Anxian

2018-02-01

To obtain CoO-doped MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 (MAS)-colored transparent glass-ceramics with high crystallinity, the glass with the composition 21MgO-21Al2O3-54SiO2-4B2O3-0.2CoO (in mol %) was prepared by conventional melt quenching technique and subsequently thermal treated at several temperatures. The crystallization behavior of the glass, the precipitated crystalline phases and crystallinity were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The microstructure of the glass-ceramics was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FSEM). The transmittance of glass-ceramic was measured by UV spectrophotometer. The results show that a large amount of α-cordierite (indianite) with nano-size was precipitated from the glass matrix after treatment at 1020 °C for 3 h. The crystallinity of the transparent glass-ceramic reached up to 97%. Meanwhile, the transmittance of the glass-ceramic was 74% at 400 nm with a complex absorption band from 450 nm to 700 nm. In addition, this colored transparent glass-ceramic possessed lower density (2.469 g/cm3), lower thermal expansion coefficient (1.822 × 10-6 /℃), higher Vickers hardness (9.1 GPa) and higher bending strength (198 MPa) than parent glass.

Fabrication of p-type conductivity in SnO{sub 2} thin films through Ga doping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsay, Chien-Yie, E-mail: cytsay@fcu.edu.tw; Liang, Shan-Chien

2015-02-15

Highlights: • P-type Ga-doped SnO{sub 2} semiconductor films were prepared by sol-gel spin coating. • Optical bandgaps of the SnO{sub 2}:Ga films are narrower than that of the SnO{sub 2} film. • SnO{sub 2}:Ga films exhibited p-type conductivity as Ga doping content higher than 10%. • A p-n heterojunction composed of p-type SnO{sub 2}:Ga and n-type ZnO:Al was fabricated. - Abstract: P-type transparent tin oxide (SnO{sub 2}) based semiconductor thin films were deposited onto alkali-free glass substrates by a sol-gel spin-coating method using gallium (Ga) as acceptor dopant. In this study, we investigated the influence of Ga doping concentration ([Ga]/[Sn] + [Ga] = 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) on the structural, optical and electrical properties of SnO{sub 2} thin films. XRD analysis results showed that dried Ga-doped SnO{sub 2} (SnO{sub 2}:Ga) sol-gel films annealed in oxygen ambient at 520 °C for 1 h exhibited only the tetragonal rutile phase. The average optical transmittance of as-prepared thin film samples was higher than 87.0% in the visible light region; the optical band gap energy slightly decreased from 3.92 eV to 3.83 eV with increases in Ga doping content. Hall effect measurement showed that the nature of conductivity of SnO{sub 2}:Ga thin films changed from n-type to p-type when the Ga doping level was 10%, and when it was at 15%, Ga-doped SnO{sub 2} thin films exhibited the highest mean hole concentration of 1.70 × 10{sup 18} cm{sup -3}. Furthermore, a transparent p-SnO{sub 2}:Ga (Ga doping level of 15%)/n-ZnO:Al (Al doping level of 2%) heterojunction was fabricated on alkali-free glass. The I-V curve measurement for the p-n heterojunction diode showed a typical rectifying characteristic with a forward turn-on voltage of 0.65 V.

Low Temperature Synthesis of Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Transparent Conducting Thin Film by Spray Pyrolysis Deposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Eun-Byul; Choi, Jae-Seok; Jung, Hyunsung; Choi, Sung-Churl; Kim, Chang-Yeoul

2016-02-01

Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) is widely used for the application of flat panel display like liquid crystal displays and plasma display panel. It is also applied in the field of touch panel, solar cell electrode, low-emissivity glass, defrost window, and anti-static material. Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films were fabricated by spray pyrolysis of ethanol-added FTO precursor solutions. FTO thin film by spray pyrolysis is very much investigated and normally formed at high temperature, about 500 degrees C. However, these days, flexible electronics draw many attentions in the field of IT industry and the research for flexible transparent conducting thin film is also required. In the industrial field, indium-tin oxide (ITO) film on polymer substrate is widely used for touch panel and displays. In this study, we investigated the possibility of FTO thin film formation at relatively low temperature of 250 degrees C. We found out that the control of volume of input precursor and exhaust gases could make it possible to form FTO thin film with a relatively low electrical resistance, less than 100 Ohm/sq and high optical transmittance about 88%.

Anatase phase stability and doping concentration dependent refractivity in codoped transparent conducting TiO2 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, T L; Furubayashi, Y; Hirose, Y; Hitosugi, T; Shimada, T; Hasegawa, T

2007-01-01

Nb 0.06 Sn x Ti 0.94-x O 2 (x ≤ 0.3) thin films were grown by a pulsed-laser deposition method with varying Sn concentration. Through a combinatorial technique, we find that Sn concentration can reach a maximum of about x = 0.3 while maintaining the stable anatase phase and epitaxy. A doping concentration dependence of the refractivity is revealed, in which refractivity reduction at a wavelength of λ = 500 nm is estimated to be 12.4% for Nb 0.06 Sn 0.3 Ti 0.64 O 2 thin film. Sn doping induced band-gap blue shift can be contributed to the mixing of extended Sn 5s orbitals with the conduction band of TiO 2 . Low resistivity on the order of 10 -4 Ω cm at room temperature and high internal transmittance of more than 95% in the visible light region are exhibited for Nb 0.06 Sn x Ti 0.94-x O 2 thin films (x ≤ 0.2). Optical and transport analyses demonstrate that doping Sn into Nb 0.06 Ti 0.94 O 2 can reduce the refractivity while maintaining low resistivity and high transparency

Influence Al doped ZnO nanostructure on structural and optical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramelan, Ari Handono; Wahyuningsih, Sayekti; Chasanah, Uswatul; Munawaroh, Hanik

2016-01-01

The preparation of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films prepared by the spin-coating method was reported. Preparation of AZO was conducted by annealing treatment at a temperature of 700°C. While the spin-coating process of AZO thin films were done at 2000 and 3000 rpm respectively. The structural properties of ZnO were determined by X- ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. ZnOnanostructure was formed after annealed at atemperature of 400°C.The morphology of ZnO was determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed the irregular morphology about 30-50µm in size. Al doped on ZnO influenced the optical properties of those material. Increasing Al contain on ZnO cause of shifting to the lower wavelength. The optical properties of the ZnO as well as AZO films showed that higher reflectance on the ultraviolet region so those materials were used as anti-reflecting agent.Al addition significantly enhance the optical transparency and induce the blue-shift in optical bandgap of ZnO films.

High energy transmission of Al2O3 doped with light transition metals

KAUST Repository

Schuster, Cosima

2012-01-31

The transmission of transparent colored ceramics based on Al2O3doped with light transition metals is measured in the visible and infrared range. To clarify the role of the dopands we perform ab initiocalculations. We discuss the electronic structure and present optical spectra obtained in the independent particle approximation. We argue that the gross spectral features of Co- and Ni-doped Al2O3 samples are described by our model, while the validity of the approach is limited for Cr-doped Al2O3.

High energy transmission of Al2O3 doped with light transition metals

KAUST Repository

Schuster, Cosima; Klimke, J.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2012-01-01

The transmission of transparent colored ceramics based on Al2O3doped with light transition metals is measured in the visible and infrared range. To clarify the role of the dopands we perform ab initiocalculations. We discuss the electronic structure and present optical spectra obtained in the independent particle approximation. We argue that the gross spectral features of Co- and Ni-doped Al2O3 samples are described by our model, while the validity of the approach is limited for Cr-doped Al2O3.

Effects of pulsed sputtering frequency on the uniformity of Al:ZnO's transparent conductive oxide properties for solar cell applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Wonkyun; Joo, Junghoon

2009-01-01

Bipolar pulsed magnetron sputtering is used to deposit Al doped ZnO (AZO) on a glass substrate for a transparent conducting oxide in a solar cell structure. A 5x25 in. 2 AZO target was sputtered by 50-250 kHz bipolar pulsed dc power supply to deposit a 400x400 mm 2 area by swinging back and forth. Sheet resistance, surface morphology, and optical transmittance were measured at different positions on 16 witness samples (small glass slides) to evaluate uniformity. In the thickness of 800 nm, the average value of sheet resistance was 30 Ω/□ and the average resistivity was 2.1x10 -3 Ω cm. Transmittance was 50%-80% over the visible range. The nonuniformities of thickness, transmittance, and resistivity in the 400x400 mm 2 area were 5.8%, 0.8%, and within 9.5%, respectively.

Characteristics of hydrogen co-doped ZnO : Al thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S H; Lee, T S; Lee, K S; Cheong, B; Kim, W M; Kim, Y D

2008-01-01

ZnO films co-doped with H and Al (HAZO) were prepared by sputtering ZnO targets containing 1 wt% Al 2 O 3 on Corning glass at a substrate temperature of 150 deg. C with Ar and H 2 /Ar gas mixtures. The effects of hydrogen addition to Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films with low Al content on the electrical, the optical and the structural properties of the as-grown films as well as the vacuum- and air-annealed films were examined. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy analysis showed that the hydrogen concentration increased with increasing H 2 in sputter gas. For the as-deposited films, the free carrier number increased with increasing H 2 . The Hall mobility increased at low hydrogen content, reaching a maximum before decreasing with a further increase of H 2 content in sputter gas. Annealing at 300 deg. C resulted in the removal of hydrogen, causing a decrease in the carrier concentration. It was shown that hydrogen might exist as single isolated interstitial hydrogen bound with oxygen, thereby acting like an anionic dopant. Also, it was shown that the addition of hydrogen to ZnO films doped with low metallic dopant concentration could yield transparent conducting films with very low absorption loss as well as with proper electrical properties, which is suitable for thin film solar cell applications

Highly Conductive PEDOT:PSS Films with 1,3-Dimethyl-2-Imidazolidinone as Transparent Electrodes for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jin Hee; Joo, Chul Woong; Lee, Jonghee; Seo, Yoon Kyung; Han, Joo Won; Oh, Ji Yoon; Kim, Jong Su; Yu, Seunggun; Lee, Jae Hyun; Lee, Jeong-Ik; Yun, Changhun; Choi, Bum Ho; Kim, Yong Hyun

2016-09-01

Highly conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) ( PSS) films as transparent electrodes for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are doped with a new solvent 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone (DMI) and are optimized using solvent post-treatment. The DMI doped PSS films show significantly enhanced conductivities up to 812.1 S cm(-1) . The sheet resistance of the PSS films doped with DMI is further reduced by various solvent post-treatment. The effect of solvent post-treatment on DMI doped PSS films is investigated and is shown to reduce insulating PSS in the conductive films. The solvent posttreated PSS films are successfully employed as transparent electrodes in white OLEDs. It is shown that the efficiency of OLEDs with the optimized DMI doped PSS films is higher than that of reference OLEDs doped with a conventional solvent (ethylene glycol). The results present that the optimized PSS films with the new solvent of DMI can be a promising transparent electrode for low-cost, efficient ITO-free white OLEDs. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Bromination of graphene: a new route to making high performance transparent conducting electrodes with low optical losses

KAUST Repository

Mansour, Ahmed

2015-09-03

The high optical transmittance, electrical conductivity, flexibility and chemical stability of graphene have triggered great interest in its application as a transparent conducting electrode material and as a potential replacement for indium doped tin oxide. However, currently available large scale production methods such as chemical vapor deposition produce polycrystalline graphene, and require additional transfer process which further introduces defects and impurities resulting in a significant increase in its sheet resistance. Doping of graphene with foreign atoms has been a popular route for reducing its sheet resistance which typically comes at a significant loss in optical transmission. Herein, we report the successful bromine doping of graphene resulting in air-stable transparent conducting electrodes with up to 80% reduction of sheet resistance reaching ~180 Ω/ at the cost of 2-3% loss of optical transmission in case of few layer graphene and 0.8% in case of single layer graphene. The remarkably low tradeoff in optical transparency leads to the highest enhancements in figure of merit reported thus far. Furthermore, our results show a controlled increase in the workfunction up to 0.3 eV with the bromine content. These results should help pave the way for further development of graphene as potentially a highly transparent substitute to other transparent conducting electrodes in optoelectronic devices.

Bromination of Graphene: A New Route to Making High Performance Transparent Conducting Electrodes with Low Optical Losses

KAUST Repository

Mansour, Ahmed

2015-07-22

The unique optical and electrical properties of graphene have triggered great interest in its application as a transparent conducting electrode material and significant effort has been invested in achieving high conductivity while maintaining transparency. Doping of graphene has been a popular route for reducing its sheet resistance, but this has typically come at a significant cost in optical transmission. We demonstrate doping of few layers graphene with bromine as a means of enhancing the conductivity via intercalation without major optical losses. Our results demonstrate the encapsulation of bromine leads to air-stable transparent conducting electrodes with five-fold improvement of sheet resistance reaching at the cost of only 2-3% loss of optical transmission. The remarkably low tradeoff in optical transparency leads to the highest enhancements in the figure of merit reported thus far for FLG. Furthermore, we tune the workfunction by up to 0.3 eV by tuning the bromine content. These results should help pave the way for further development of graphene as a potential substitute to transparent conducting polymers and metal oxides used in optoelectronics, photovoltaics and beyond.

Transparent and conductive paper from nanocellulose fibers

KAUST Repository

Hu, Liangbing

2013-01-01

Here we report on a novel substrate, nanopaper, made of cellulose nanofibrils, an earth abundant material. Compared with regular paper substrates, nanopaper shows superior optical properties. We have carried out the first study on the optical properties of nanopaper substrates. Since the size of the nanofibrils is much less than the wavelength of visible light, nanopaper is highly transparent with large light scattering in the forward direction. Successful depositions of transparent and conductive materials including tin-doped indium oxide, carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires have been achieved on nanopaper substrates, opening up a wide range of applications in optoelectronics such as displays, touch screens and interactive paper. We have also successfully demonstrated an organic solar cell on the novel substrate. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2013.

Ultrabroadband terahertz conductivity of highly doped ZnO and ITO

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Tianwu; Zalkovskij, Maksim; Iwaszczuk, Krzysztof

2015-01-01

The broadband complex conductivities of transparent conducting oxides (TCO), namely aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), were investigated by terahertz time domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) in the frequency range from 0.5 to 18 THz using air...... to be more thickness dependent than GZO and ITO, indicating high importance of the surface states for electron dynamics in AZO. Finally, we measure the transmittance of the TCO films from 10 to 200 THz with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements, thus closing the gap between THz...

Highly conducting and transparent sprayed indium tin oxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rami, M.; Benamar, E.; Messaoudi, C.; Sayah, D.; Ennaoui, A. (Faculte des Sciences, Rabat (Morocco). Lab. de Physique des Materiaux)

1998-03-01

Indium tin oxide (ITO) has a wide range of applications in solar cells (e.g. by controlling the resistivity, we can use low conductivity ITO as buffer layer and highly conducting ITO as front contact in thin films CuInS[sub 2] and CuInSe[sub 2] based solar cells) due to its wide band gap (sufficient to be transparent) in both visible and near infrared range, and high carrier concentrations with metallic conduction. A variety of deposition techniques such as reactive electron beam evaporation, DC magnetron sputtering, evaporation, reactive thermal deposition, and spray pyrolysis have been used for the preparation of undoped and tin doped indium oxide. This latter process which makes possible the preparation of large area coatings has attracted considerable attention due to its simplicity and large scale with low cost fabrication. It has been used here to deposit highly transparent and conducting films of tin doped indium oxide onto glass substrates. The electrical, optical and structural properties have been investigated as a function of various deposition parameters namely dopant concentrations, temperature and nature of substrates. X-ray diffraction patterns have shown that deposited films are polycrystalline without second phases and have preferred orientation [400]. INdium tin oxide layers with small resistivity value around 7.10[sup -5] [omega].cm and transmission coefficient in the visible and near IR range of about 85-90% have been easily obtained. (authors) 13 refs.

Comparative study about Al-doped zinc oxide thin films deposited by Pulsed Electron Deposition and Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering as Transparent Conductive Oxide for Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2}-based solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pattini, F., E-mail: pattini@imem.cnr.it [IMEM-CNR, Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism, Parco Area delle Scienze 37/A, 43124 Parma (Italy); Annoni, F.; Bissoli, F.; Bronzoni, M. [IMEM-CNR, Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism, Parco Area delle Scienze 37/A, 43124 Parma (Italy); Garcia, J.P. [Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft Product and Process Design Institute, Julianalaan 67, 2628 BC Delft (Netherlands); Gilioli, E.; Rampino, S. [IMEM-CNR, Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism, Parco Area delle Scienze 37/A, 43124 Parma (Italy)

2015-05-01

In this study, a comparison between Al-doped ZnO (AZO) as Transparent Conductive Oxide for Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2}-based solar cells grown by Pulsed Electron Deposition (PED) and Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering (RFMS) was performed. PED yielded polycrystalline [002] mono-oriented thin films with low electrical resistivity and high optical transparency with heater temperatures ranging from room temperature (RT) to 250 °C. The electrical resistivity of these films can be tuned by varying the heater temperature, reaching a minimum value of 3.5 × 10{sup −4} Ωcm at 150 °C and an average transmittance over 90% in the visible range. An AZO film grown at RT was deposited by PED on an actual Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2}-based solar cell, resulting to an efficiency value of 15.2% on the best device. This result clearly shows that PED is a suitable technique for growing ZnO-based thin films for devices/applications where low deposition temperature is required. On the other hand, an optimized AZO thin film front contact for thin film solar cells was studied and fabricated via RFMS. The parameters of this technique were tweaked to obtain highly conductive and transparent AZO thin films. The lowest resistivity value of 3.7 × 10{sup −4} Ωcm and an average transmittance of 86% in the 400-1100 nm wavelength range was obtained with a heater temperature of 250 °C. A thick sputtered AZO film was deposited at RT onto an identical cell used for PED-grown AZO, reaching the highest conversion efficiency value of 14.7%. In both cases, neither antireflection coatings nor pure ZnO layer was used. - Highlights: • Pulsed Electron Deposition (PED) lets high quality films grow at low temperature. • Al:ZnO (AZO) thin films grown by PED present high optical and electrical quality. • AZO electrical resistivity can be tuned from 10{sup −4} to 10{sup −2} Ωcm in proper condition. • Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2}-based simplified solar cells achieved efficiency of 15.2% for PED-grown AZO.

Low temperature-pyrosol-deposition of aluminum-doped zinc oxide thin films for transparent conducting contacts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rivera, M.J. [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-360, Coyoacán, 04510 México, D.F. (Mexico); Ramírez, E.B. [Universidad Autónoma de la Ciudad de México, Calle Prolongación San Isidro Núm. 151, Col. San Lorenzo Tezonco, Iztapalapa, 09790 México, D.F. (Mexico); Juárez, B.; González, J.; García-León, J.M. [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-360, Coyoacán, 04510 México, D.F. (Mexico); Escobar-Alarcón, L. [Departamento de Física, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Apdo. Postal 18-1027, México, D.F. 11801 (Mexico); Alonso, J.C., E-mail: alonso@unam.mx [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Apartado Postal 70-360, Coyoacán, 04510 México, D.F. (Mexico)

2016-04-30

Aluminum doped-zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) thin films with thickness ~ 1000 nm have been deposited by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique using low substrate temperatures in the range from 285 to 360 °C. The electrical and optical properties of the ZnO:Al (AZO) films were investigated by Uv–vis spectroscopy and Hall effect measurements. The crystallinity and morphology of the films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and high resolution scanning electron microcopy (SEM). XRD results reveal that all the films are nanocrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferential orientation in the (002) plane. The size of the grains calculated from Scherrer's formula was in the range from 28 to 35 nm. AFM and SEM analysis reveals that the grains form round and hexagonal shaped aggregates at high deposition temperatures and larger rice shaped aggregates at low temperatures. All the films have a high optical transparency (~ 82%). According to the Hall measurements the AZO films deposited at 360 and 340 °C had resistivities of 2.2 × 10{sup −3}–4.3 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm, respectively. These films were n-type and had carrier concentrations and mobilities of 3.71–2.54 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} and 7.4–5.7 cm{sup 2}/V s, respectively. The figure of merit of these films as transparent conductors was in the range of 2.6 × 10{sup −2} Ω{sup −1}–4.1 × 10{sup −2} Ω{sup −1}. Films deposited at 300 °C and 285 °C, had much higher resistivities. Based on the thermogravimetric analysis of the individual precursors used for film deposition, we speculate on possible film growing mechanisms that can explain the composition and electrical properties of films deposited under the two different ranges of temperatures. - Highlights: • Aluminum doped zinc oxide thin films were deposited at low temperatures by pyrosol. • Low resistivity was achieved from 340 °C substrate temperature. • All films deposited

Pressurized polyol synthesis of Al-doped ZnO nanoclusters with high electrical conductivity and low near-infrared transmittance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Ho-Nyun; Shin, Chi-Ho [Surface Technology R& BD Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), Incheon 406-840 (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Duck Kun [Department of Corporate Diagnosis, Small and Medium Business Corporation, Seoul 150-718 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Haekyoung [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 712-749 (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Kyeongseok [Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology, Inha Technical College, Incheon 402-752 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyun-Jong, E-mail: hjkim23@kitech.re.kr [Surface Technology R& BD Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), Incheon 406-840 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-09-25

Highlights: • Low-temperature pressurized polyol method synthesized Al-doped ZnO nanoclusters. • Reaction time affected the doping efficiency, resistivity, and NIR transmittance. • The near-IR blocking efficiency of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) nanoclusters reached 85%. • AZO nanocluster coatings could be used for heat reflectors or artificial glasses. - Abstract: In this study, a novel pressurized polyol method is proposed to synthesize aluminum-doped ZnO (AZO) nanoclusters without utilizing additional thermal treatment to avoid the merging of nanoclusters. The size of the AZO nanoclusters range from 100 to 150 nm with a resistivity of 204 Ω cm. The AZO nanoclusters primarily consist of approximately 10-nm nanocrystals that form a spherically clustered morphology. A two-stage growth model has been proposed based on the results of scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images, nanocluster sizes, and X-ray diffraction patterns. The primary AZO nanocrystals first nucleate under pressurized conditions and then spontaneously aggregate into larger nanoclusters. Optically, the AZO nanoclusters exhibit a significant decrease in the near-infrared (NIR) transmittance compared to pure ZnO nanoparticles. The NIR blocking efficiency of AZO nanoclusters reached 85%. Moreover, the doping efficiency, resistivity, and NIR transmittance of AZO nanoclusters are influenced by the reaction time in the pressurized polyol solution. On the other hand, the reaction time has no effect on the particle size and crystallinity. An optically transparent coating for the AZO nanoclusters, which consisted of iso-propanol solvent and ultraviolet-curable acrylic binder, was also demonstrated.

Probing the electrical properties of highly-doped Al:ZnO nanowire ensembles

KAUST Repository

Noriega, Rodrigo; Rivnay, Jonathan; Goris, Ludwig; Kälblein, Daniel; Klauk, Hagen; Kern, Klaus; Thompson, Linda M.; Palke, Aaron C.; Stebbins, Jonathan F.; Jokisaari, Jacob R.; Kusinski, Greg; Salleo, Alberto

2010-01-01

The analysis of transparent conducting oxide nanostructures suffers from a lack of high throughput yet quantitatively sensitive set of analytical techniques that can properly assess their electrical properties and serve both as characterization and diagnosis tools. This is addressed by applying a comprehensive set of characterization techniques to study the electrical properties of solution-grown Al-doped ZnO nanowires as a function of composition from 0 to 4 at. % Al:Zn. Carrier mobility and charge density extracted from sensitive optical absorption measurements are in agreement with those extracted from single-wire field-effect transistor devices. The mobility in undoped nanowires is 28 cm2 /V s and decreases to ∼14 cm2 /V s at the highest doping density, though the carrier density remains approximately constant (1020 cm-3) due to limited dopant activation or the creation of charge-compensating defects. Additionally, the local geometry of the Al dopant is studied by nuclear magnetic resonance, showing the occupation of a variety of dopant sites. © 2010 American Institute of Physics.

Anatase phase stability and doping concentration dependent refractivity in codoped transparent conducting TiO{sub 2} films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, T L [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Furubayashi, Y [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Hirose, Y [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Hitosugi, T [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Shimada, T [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Hasegawa, T [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan)

2007-10-07

Nb{sub 0.06}Sn{sub x}Ti{sub 0.94-x}O{sub 2} (x {<=} 0.3) thin films were grown by a pulsed-laser deposition method with varying Sn concentration. Through a combinatorial technique, we find that Sn concentration can reach a maximum of about x = 0.3 while maintaining the stable anatase phase and epitaxy. A doping concentration dependence of the refractivity is revealed, in which refractivity reduction at a wavelength of {lambda} = 500 nm is estimated to be 12.4% for Nb{sub 0.06}Sn{sub 0.3} Ti{sub 0.64}O{sub 2} thin film. Sn doping induced band-gap blue shift can be contributed to the mixing of extended Sn 5s orbitals with the conduction band of TiO{sub 2}. Low resistivity on the order of 10{sup -4} {omega} cm at room temperature and high internal transmittance of more than 95% in the visible light region are exhibited for Nb{sub 0.06}Sn{sub x} Ti{sub 0.94-x}O{sub 2} thin films (x {<=} 0.2). Optical and transport analyses demonstrate that doping Sn into Nb{sub 0.06} Ti{sub 0.94}O{sub 2} can reduce the refractivity while maintaining low resistivity and high transparency.

TRANSPARENT CONDUCTING OXIDE SYNTHESIS OF ALUMINIUM DOPED ZINC OXIDES BY CHEMICAL COPRECIPITATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Maioco

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Aluminium doped zinc oxides (AZO are promising replacements for tin doped indium oxides (ITO but thin films show a wide range of physical properties strongly dependent on deposition process conditions. Submicrometric 1% aluminum doped zinc oxide ceramics (AZO are examined, prepared by coprecipitation, from Zn(NO32 and Al(NO33 aqueous solutions, sintered at 1200°C and subsequently annealed in 10-16 atm controlled oxygen fugacity atmospheres, at 1000°C. Electrical resistivity diminishes by two orders of magnitude after two hours of annealing and the Seebeck coefficient gradually changes from -140 to -50 µV/K within 8 h. It is concluded that increased mobility is dominant over the increased carrier density, induced by changes in metal-oxygen stoichiometry

Highly conducting and transparent Ti-doped CdO films by pulsed laser deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, R.K.; Ghosh, K.; Patel, R.; Kahol, P.K.

2009-01-01

Titanium-doped cadmium oxide thin films were deposited on quartz substrate by pulsed laser deposition technique. The effect of substrate temperature on structural, optical and electrical properties was studied. The films grown at high temperature show (2 0 0) preferred orientation, while films grown at low temperature have both (1 1 1) and (2 0 0) orientation. These films are highly transparent (63-79%) in visible region, and transmittance of the films depends on growth temperature. The band gap of the films varies from 2.70 eV to 2.84 eV for various temperatures. It is observed that resistivity increases with growth temperature after attaining minimum at 150 deg. C, while carrier concentration continuously decreases with temperature. The low resistivity, high transmittance and wide band gap titanium-doped CdO films could be an excellent candidate for future optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications.

Large-Area Chemical Vapor Deposited MoS2 with Transparent Conducting Oxide Contacts toward Fully Transparent 2D Electronics

KAUST Repository

Dai, Zhenyu

2017-09-08

2D semiconductors are poised to revolutionize the future of electronics and photonics, much like transparent oxide conductors and semiconductors have revolutionized the display industry. Herein, these two types of materials are combined to realize fully transparent 2D electronic devices and circuits. Specifically, a large-area chemical vapor deposition process is developed to grow monolayer MoS2 continuous films, which are, for the first time, combined with transparent conducting oxide (TCO) contacts. Transparent conducting aluminum doped zinc oxide contacts are deposited by atomic layer deposition, with composition tuning to achieve optimal conductivity and band-offsets with MoS2. The optimized process gives fully transparent TCO/MoS2 2D electronics with average visible-range transmittance of 85%. The transistors show high mobility (4.2 cm2 V−1 s−1), fast switching speed (0.114 V dec−1), very low threshold voltage (0.69 V), and large switching ratio (4 × 108). To our knowledge, these are the lowest threshold voltage and subthreshold swing values reported for monolayer chemical vapor deposition MoS2 transistors. The transparent inverters show fast switching properties with a gain of 155 at a supply voltage of 10 V. The results demonstrate that transparent conducting oxides can be used as contact materials for 2D semiconductors, which opens new possibilities in 2D electronic and photonic applications.

Influence of SrF_2-doping in AlN ceramics on scintillation and dosimeter properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojima, Kaori; Okada, Go; Fukuda, Kentaro; Yanagida, Takayuki

2016-01-01

In this study, we synthesized undoped AlN and SrF_2-doped AlN (AlN-SrF_2) ceramics by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), and we characterized their optical, scintillation and dosimeter properties. The prepared undoped AlN ceramic had gray color and visually non-transparent whereas, with an addition of SrF_2, the transparency improved and became translucent. The measured in-line transmittance was approximately 0.2% at wavelengths longer than 500 nm. While the addition of SrF_2 decreased the scintillation intensity, the decay time was significantly fastened, which is a great advantage for fast photon counting-based measurements. Both the thermally-stimulated luminescence (TSL) and optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) showed good linear response from the milli-gray range to over 10 Gy. The sensitivity seems to decrease by an addition of SrF_2 as it suppresses structural defect centers which are responsible for dosimeter properties. However, the main TSL glow peak position shifts to higher temperature with the addition of SrF_2, which indicates that inclusion of SrF_2 improves the TSL signal stability. - Highlights: • We synthesized undoped and SrF_2-doped AlN ceramics by Spark Plasma Sintering. • We evaluated scintillator and dosimeter properties of undoped and SrF_2-doped AlN. • By doping with SrF_2, the decay time is shortened. • By doping with SrF_2, the stability of TSL and OSL is improved.

Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Transparent Conducting Oxide Based on Al Doped ZnO Prepared by Spray Pyrolysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abdeslam DOUAYAR

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO thin films were deposited on glass substrates at 350 °C by spray pyrolysis technique. X-ray diffraction patterns show that the undoped and AZO films exhibit the hexagonal wűrtzite crystal structure with a preferential orientation along 2 direction. AFM images showed that AZO film with 3 % of Al has a uniform grain sizes with a surface roughness of about 24 nm. All films present a high transmittance in the visible range. Both undoped and AZO films were n-type degenerate semiconductor and the best electrical resistivity value was around 8.0 ´ 10- 2 W.cm obtained for 3 % Al content.

Scintillation properties of transparent Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} (LuAG) ceramics doped with different concentrations of Pr{sup 3+}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagida, Takayuki; Fukabori, Akihiro; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Kamada, Kei; Yokota, Yuui; Yoshikawa, Akira; Chani, Valery [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira Aoba-ku, 980-8577 Sendai (Japan); Ikesue, Akio [World Labo, Co. Ltd., Mutsuno 2-4-1, Atsuta, 456-0023 Nagoya (Japan); Kataoka, Jun [School of Advanced Science and Engineering,Waseda University, Ohkubo 3-4-1, Shinjuku, 169-0072 Tokyo (Japan)

2011-01-15

Transparent ceramics of Pr-doped (0.2 mol%, 0.6 mol%, 1 mol%, and 2 mol%) Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} (LuAG) scintillators produced by the sintering method are discussed. These materials were cut to the specimens with physical dimensions of 5 x 5 x 2 mm{sup 3}. Similar size specimens were also prepared from Czochralski grown Pr:LuAG single crystals to compare scintillation properties. Their transmittance and radio luminescence spectra were evaluated. All specimens were highly transparent in wavelength range above 300 nm, and intense Pr{sup 3+} 5d-4f emission was detected around 310 and 370 nm under excitation with X-ray. Under {sup 137}Cs {gamma}-ray is irradiation, 2 keV photo-absorption peaks were also clearly observed in each sample. The Pr 0.6 mol% doped LuAG ceramics demonstrated highest light yield achievable among the ceramics, and it was half of that observed in the single crystals. Under pulse X-ray excitation, the decay time constants became faster when Pr concentration increased, and. the fastest decay ({proportional_to}5.7 ns time constant) was noticed in the 2 mol% doped ceramic. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Transparent Conducting Nb-Doped TiO2 Electrodes Activated by Laser Annealing for Inexpensive Flexible Organic Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jung-Hsiang; Lin, Chia-Chi; Lin, Yi-Chang

2012-01-01

A KrF excimer laser (λ= 248 nm) has been adopted for annealing cost-effective Nb-doped TiO2 (NTO) films. Sputtered NTO layers were annealed on SiO2-coated flexible poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates. This local laser annealing technique is very useful for the formation of anatase NTO electrodes used in flexible organic solar cells (OSCs). An amorphous NTO film with a high resistivity and a low transparency was transformed significantly into a conductive and transparent anatase NTO electrode by laser irradiation. The 210 nm anatase NTO film shows a sheet resistance of 50 Ω and an average optical transmittance of 83.5% in the wavelength range from 450 to 600 nm after annealing at 0.25 J/cm2. The activation of Nb dopants and the formation of the anatase phase contribute to the high conductivity of the laser-annealed NTO electrode. Nb activation causes an increase in the optical band gap due to the Burstein-Moss effect. The electrical properties are in agreement with the material characteristics determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The irradiation energy for the NTO electrode also affects the performance of the organic solar cell. The laser annealing technique provides good properties of the anatase NTO film used as a transparent electrode for flexible organic solar cells (OSCs) without damage to the PET substrate or layer delamination from the substrate.

Transparent Conducting Oxides for Photovoltaics: Manipulation of Fermi Level, Work Function and Energy Band Alignment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana E. Proffit

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Doping limits, band gaps, work functions and energy band alignments of undoped and donor-doped transparent conducting oxides Zn0, In2O3, and SnO2 as accessed by X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS/UPS are summarized and compared. The presented collection provides an extensive data set of technologically relevant electronic properties of photovoltaic transparent electrode materials and illustrates how these relate to the underlying defect chemistry, the dependence of surface dipoles on crystallographic orientation and/or surface termination, and Fermi level pinning.

Studies on phase evolution and electrical conductivity of barium doped gadolinium aluminate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinha, Amit; Sharma, B.P.; Gopalan, P.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Barium doped GdAlO 3 compositions were prepared from citrate gel derived powders. ► The solid solubility of barium in GdAlO 3 was less than 4 mol%. ► The un-dissolved barium precipitated in the form of BaAl 2 O 4 phase. ► The conductivity of Ba-doped GdAlO 3 increased with increasing amounts of Ba. ► In Gd 1−x Ba x AlO 3−δ system, specimen with x = 0.02 exhibited maximum conductivity. - Abstract: The phase evolution and electrical conductivity of barium doped GdAlO 3 samples have been investigated. The Ba- doped compositions of GdAlO 3 were prepared through citrate gel process. Analysis of the phases was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The morphology of the calcined powders was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The electrical conductivity of Gd 1−x Ba x AlO 3−δ (x = 0–0.04) was measured using ac impedance spectroscopy as a function of temperature ranging from 300 to 1000 °C under air. The solid solubility of barium in GdAlO 3 was found to be less than 4 mol%. The undissolved barium precipitated in the form of BaAl 2 O 4 phase. The barium doped GdAlO 3 powders obtained after calcination at 1000 °C was found to be porous agglomerate composed of nanocrystalline grains. The total electrical conductivity of Ba-doped GdAlO 3 increased with increasing amounts of barium up to 2 mol% doping.

Homogeneous transparent conductive ZnO:Ga by ALD for large LED wafers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szabó, Zoltán; Baji, Zsófia [MTA EK Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, Konkoly Thege M. út 29-33, 1121 Budapest (Hungary); Basa, Péter [Semilab Semiconductor Physics Laboratory Co. Ltd., Prielle K. u. 2, H-1117 Budapest (Hungary); Czigány, Zsolt; Bársony, István [MTA EK Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, Konkoly Thege M. út 29-33, 1121 Budapest (Hungary); Wang, Hsin-Ying [Epistar corporation No 5, Li-hsin 5th Rd., Hsinchu Science Park, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan (China); Volk, János, E-mail: volk@mfa.kfki.hu [MTA EK Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science, Konkoly Thege M. út 29-33, 1121 Budapest (Hungary)

2016-08-30

Highlights: • Highly conductive, transparent GZO layers were deposited by ALD. • The ALD layers show superior thickness and sheet resistance homogeneity for 4” wafers. • A two-step ALD deposition technique was proposed and demonstrated to improve the quality of GZO/p-GaN interface. - Abstract: Highly conductive and uniform Ga doped ZnO (GZO) films were prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) as transparent conductive layers for InGaN/GaN LEDs. The optimal Ga doping concentration was found to be 3 at%. Even for 4” wafers, the TCO layer shows excellent homogeneity of film resistivity (0.8 %) according to Eddy current and spectroscopic ellipsometry mapping. This makes ALD a favourable technique over concurrent methods like MBE and PLD where the up-scaling is problematic. In agreement with previous studies, it was found that by an annealing treatment the quality of the GZO/p-GaN interface can be improved, although it causes the degradation of TCO conductivity. Therefore, a two-step ALD deposition technique was proposed and demonstrated: a “buffer layer” deposited and annealed first was followed by a second deposition step to maintain the high conductivity of the top layer.

A simplified approach to the band gap correction of defect formation energies: Al, Ga, and In-doped ZnO

Science.gov (United States)

Saniz, R.; Xu, Y.; Matsubara, M.; Amini, M. N.; Dixit, H.; Lamoen, D.; Partoens, B.

2013-01-01

The calculation of defect levels in semiconductors within a density functional theory approach suffers greatly from the band gap problem. We propose a band gap correction scheme that is based on the separation of energy differences in electron addition and relaxation energies. We show that it can predict defect levels with a reasonable accuracy, particularly in the case of defects with conduction band character, and yet is simple and computationally economical. We apply this method to ZnO doped with group III elements (Al, Ga, In). As expected from experiment, the results indicate that Zn substitutional doping is preferred over interstitial doping in Al, Ga, and In-doped ZnO, under both zinc-rich and oxygen-rich conditions. Further, all three dopants act as shallow donors, with the +1 charge state having the most advantageous formation energy. Also, doping effects on the electronic structure of ZnO are sufficiently mild so as to affect little the fundamental band gap and lowest conduction bands dispersion, which secures their n-type transparent conducting behavior. A comparison with the extrapolation method based on LDA+U calculations and with the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof hybrid functional (HSE) shows the reliability of the proposed scheme in predicting the thermodynamic transition levels in shallow donor systems.

Morphology-controllable of Sn doped ZnO nanorods prepared by spray pyrolysis for transparent electrode application

Science.gov (United States)

Hameed, M. Shahul; Princice, J. Joseph; Babu, N. Ramesh; Zahirullah, S. Syed; Deshmukh, Sampat G.; Arunachalam, A.

2018-05-01

Transparent conductive Sn doped ZnO nanorods have been deposited at various doping level by spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrate. The structural, surface morphological and optical properties of these films have been investigated with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and UV-Vis spectrophotometer respectively. XRD patterns revealed a successful high quality growth of single crystal ZnO nanorods with hexagonal wurtzite structure having (002) preferred orientation. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of the prepared films exposed the uniform distribution of Sn doped ZnO nanorod shaped grains. All these films were highly transparent in the visible region with average transmittance of 90%.

Structural study of TiO2-based transparent conducting films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hitosugi, T.; Yamada, N.; Nakao, S.; Hatabayashi, K.; Shimada, T.; Hasegawa, T.

2008-01-01

We have investigated microscopic structures of sputter and pulsed laser deposited (PLD) anatase Nb-doped TiO 2 transparent conducting films, and discuss what causes the degradation of resistivity in sputter-deposited films. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscope and polarized optical microscope images show inhomogeneous intragrain structures and small grains of ∼10 μm in sputter-deposited films. From comparison with PLD films, these results suggest that homogeneous film growth is the important factor to obtain highly conducting sputter-deposited film

Synthesis of highly conductive thin-walled Al-doped ZnO single-crystal microtubes by a solid state method

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Shuopeng; Wang, Yue; Wang, Qiang; Xing, Cheng; Yan, Yinzhou; Jiang, Yijian

2018-06-01

ZnO has attracted considerable attention in fundamental studies and practical applications for the past decade due to its outstanding performance in gas sensing, photocatalytic degradation, light harvesting, UV-light emitting/lasing, etc. The large-sized thin-walled ZnO (TW-ZnO) microtube with stable and rich VZn-related acceptors grown by optical vapor supersaturated precipitation (OVSP) is a novel multifunctional optoelectronic material. Unfortunately, the OVSP cannot achieve doping due to the vapor growth process. To obtain doped TW-ZnO microtubes, a solid state method is introduced in this work to achieve thin-walled Al-doping ZnO (TW-ZnO:Al) microtubes with high electrical conductivity. The morphology and microstructures of ZnO:Al microtubes are similar to undoped ones. The Al3+ ions are confirmed to substitute Zn2+ sites and Zn(0/-1) vacancies in the lattice of ZnO by EDS, XRD, Raman and temperature-dependent photoluminescence analyses. The Al dopant acting as a donor level offers massive free electrons to increase the carrier concentrations. The resistivity of the ZnO:Al microtube is reduced down to ∼10-3 Ω·cm, which is one order of magnitude lower than that of the undoped microtube. The present work provides a simple way to achieve doped ZnO tubular components for potential device applications in optoelectronics.

Effect of Al-doped on physical properties of ZnO Thin films grown by spray pyrolysis on SnO2: F/glass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Castagné M.

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Transparent conducting thin films of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al have been deposited on SnO2:F/glass by the chemical spray technique, starting from zinc acetate (CH3CO22Zn.2H2O and aluminum chloride AlCl3. The effect of changing the aluminum-to-zinc ratio y from 0 to 3 at.%, has been thoroughly investigated. It was found that the optical and electrical properties of Al doped ZnO films improved with the addition of aluminum in the spray solution until y=2%. At this Al doping percentage, the thin layers have a resistivity equal to 4.1 × 10−4 Ω.cm and a transmittance of about 90 % in the region [600-1000] nm. XRD patterns confirm that the films have polycristalline nature and a wurtzite (hexagonal structure which characterized with (100, (002 and (101 principal orientations. The undoped films have (002 as the preferred orientation but Al doped ones have (101 as the preferred orientation. Beyond y= 1%, peak intensities decrease considerably.

Comparative study of transparent ceramic and single crystal Ce doped LuAG scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yokota, Yuui; Kamada, Kei; Yanagida, Satoko; Yoshikawa, Akira; Yagi, Hideki; Yanagitani, Takagimi

2011-01-01

Transparent ceramic Ce 0.5% doped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 (LuAG) scintillator grown by the sintering method and single crystalline Ce doped LuAG grown by the Czochralski method are prepared. They are cut to the physical dimensions 4 × 4 × 2 mm 3 . Their transmittance and radio luminescence spectra are evaluated. They are both transmissive in wavelength longer than 500 nm and intense Ce 3+ 5d–4f emission appears around 520 nm. When 137 Cs γ-ray is irradiated, 662 keV photo-absorption peaks are clearly observed in each sample. The transparent ceramic one shows higher light yield than that of the single crystalline one. The absolute light yield of the ceramic sample is turned out to be 14800 ± 1500 ph/MeV. The decay time constants are evaluated under pulse X-ray excitation. The main component of the decay time of ceramic and single crystalline one are determined as 37 and 46 ns, respectively.

Bromination of graphene: a new route to making high performance transparent conducting electrodes with low optical losses

KAUST Repository

Mansour, Ahmed; Amassian, Aram; Tanielian, Minas H.

2015-01-01

The high optical transmittance, electrical conductivity, flexibility and chemical stability of graphene have triggered great interest in its application as a transparent conducting electrode material and as a potential replacement for indium doped

Direct growth of transparent conducting Nb-doped anatase TiO2 polycrystalline films on glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, Naoomi; Kasai, Junpei; Hitosugi, Taro; Hoang, Ngoc Lam Huong; Nakao, Shoichiro; Hirose, Yasushi; Shimada, Toshihiro; Hasegawa, Tetsuya

2009-01-01

This paper proposes a novel sputter-based method for the direct growth of transparent conducting Ti 1-x Nb x O 2 (TNO) polycrystalline films on glass, without the need for any postdeposition treatments, by the use of an initial seed-layer. Anatase TNO epitaxial films grown on LaAlO 3 (100) substrates under a reducing atmosphere exhibited a low resistivity (ρ) of (3-6)x10 -4 Ω cm. On glass, however, highly resistive rutile phase polycrystalline films (ρ∼100 Ω cm) formed preferentially under the same conditions. These results suggest that epitaxial stabilization of the oxygen-deficient anatase phase occurs on lattice-matched substrates. To produce a similar effect on a glass surface, we deposited a seed-layer of anatase TNO with excellent crystallinity under an increased oxygen atmosphere. As a result, anatase phase TNO polycrystalline films could be grown even under heavily reducing atmospheres. An optimized film exhibited ρ=1.1x10 -3 Ω cm and optical absorption lower than 10% in the visible region. This ρ value is more than one order of magnitude lower than values reported for directly deposited TNO polycrystalline films. This indicates that the seed-layer method has considerable potential for producing transparent conducting TNO polycrystalline films on glass.

Effect of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcés, F.A., E-mail: felipe.garces@santafe-conicet.gov.ar [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Budini, N. [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Arce, R.D.; Schmidt, J.A. [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santiago del Estero 2829, Santa Fe S3000AOM (Argentina)

2015-01-01

In this work, we have investigated the influence of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films. Transparent conducting oxide films were grown by the spray pyrolysis technique from precursors prepared via the sol–gel method. We determined the structural properties of the films by performing X-ray diffraction and mosaicity measurements, which evidenced an increase of disorder and inhomogeneity between crystalline domains as the films thickened. This behavior was contrasted with results obtained from electrical measurements and was attributed to plastic deformation of the films as their thickness increased. As a result, the carrier mobility, the optical gap and the activation energy are affected due to emerging grain boundaries and a higher degree of disorder. - Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO thin films on glass with different thicknesses • Film thickness affects the morphological and electrical properties. • Increasing time deposition allows modification of resistivity and Hall mobility. • Mosaicity between crystalline domains increases with film thickness.

Effect of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcés, F.A.; Budini, N.; Arce, R.D.; Schmidt, J.A.

2015-01-01

In this work, we have investigated the influence of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films. Transparent conducting oxide films were grown by the spray pyrolysis technique from precursors prepared via the sol–gel method. We determined the structural properties of the films by performing X-ray diffraction and mosaicity measurements, which evidenced an increase of disorder and inhomogeneity between crystalline domains as the films thickened. This behavior was contrasted with results obtained from electrical measurements and was attributed to plastic deformation of the films as their thickness increased. As a result, the carrier mobility, the optical gap and the activation energy are affected due to emerging grain boundaries and a higher degree of disorder. - Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO thin films on glass with different thicknesses • Film thickness affects the morphological and electrical properties. • Increasing time deposition allows modification of resistivity and Hall mobility. • Mosaicity between crystalline domains increases with film thickness

Al2O3 doping of TiO2 electrodes and applications in dye-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eom, Tae Sung; Kim, Kyung Hwan; Bark, Chung Wung; Choi, Hyung Wook

2014-01-01

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been intensively studied since their discovery in 1991. DSSCs have been extensively researched over the past decades as cheaper alternatives to silicon solar cells due to their high energy-conversion efficiency and their low production cost. However, some problems need to be solved in order to enhance the efficiency of DSSCs. In particular, the electron recombination that occurs due to the contact between the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and a redox electrolyte is one of the main limiting factors of efficiency. In this work, we report for the first time the improvement of the photovoltaic characteristics of DSSCs by doping TiO 2 with Al 2 O 3 . DSSCs were constructed using composite particles of Al 2 O 3 -doped TiO 2 and TiO 2 nanoparticles. The DSSCs using Al 2 O 3 showed the maximum conversion efficiency of 6.29% due to effective electron transport. DSSCs based on Al 2 O 3 -doped TiO 2 films showed better photovoltaic performance than cells fabricated with only TiO 2 nanoparticles. This result is attributed to the prevention of electron recombination between electrons in the TiO 2 conduction band with holes in the dye or the electrolyte. There mechanism is suggested based on impedance results, which indicated improved electron transport at the TiO 2 /dye/electrolyte interface.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiu Xian-Wu; Zhao Wen-Jing

2012-01-01

Transparent conducting molybdenum-doped zinc oxide films are prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at ambient temperature. The MoO 3 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 MoO 3 content. The lowest resistivity achieved is 9.2×10 −4 Ω·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 MoO 3 content of 2 wt%. The average transmittance in the visible range is reduced from 91% to 80% with the increase in the MoO 3 content in the target. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

Highly conductive Al-doped tetra-needle-like ZnO whiskers prepared by a solid state method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan Cuifeng; Tan Hairen; Jin Shengming; Yang Huaming; Tang Motang; He Jing

2008-01-01

Tetra-needle-like zinc oxide whiskers (T-ZnO W ) were doped with Al 3+ by a solid state method. In this study, modification conditions were thoroughly investigated to obtain low resistivity T-ZnO W , without destroying the tetra-needle-like structure. The Al-doped T-ZnO W was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transition infrared (FT-IR) spectra and electrical resistance measurement. The SEM and XRD results indicated that the tetra-needle-like structure of ZnO whiskers could be well maintained after modification and the doped (0 0 2) face was preferred. FT-IR results showed that the decrease of resistivity of Al-doped T-ZnO W resulted from formation of [AlO 4 ] configuration in T-ZnO W bulk. Experiment results showed that the annealing temperature, doping concentration and type of Al sources affected the resistivity of T-ZnO W considerably. The optimum Al-doped concentration was 7.0 at.% and the resistivity of T-ZnO W could be considerably decreased from 10 8 to 10 2 Ω cm

The Preparation and Property of Graphene /Tin Oxide Transparent Conductive Film

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SUN Tao

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Graphene doped tin oxide composites were prepared with SnCIZ·2HZ 0 and graphene oxide as raw materials with sol-gel method and then spincoated on the quartz glass to manufacture a new transparent conductive film. The composite film was characterized with X-ray diffraction(XRDand scanning electron microscopy(SEM analysis. XRD results show that the graphene oxide was successfully prepared with Hummers method. The graphene layers and particulate SnOZ can be clearly observed in SEM photos. The transmittance and conductivity of the thin films were tested with ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer and Hall effect measurement. The results show that the transmittivity of composite film in visible region is more than 90% and surface square resistance is 41 S2/口.The graphene/ SnOZ film exhibits a higher performance in transparence and conductivity than commercial FTO glass.

Preparation of flexible and heat-resisting conductive transparent film by the pyrosol process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usami, Hisanao; Nakasa, Akihiko; Adachi, Mami; Suzuki, Eiji; Fujimatsu, Hitoshi; Ohashi, Tatsuya; Yamada, Shigeo; Tsugita, Kouhei; Taniguchi, Yoshio

2006-01-01

A pyrosol process was successfully applied for the preparation of a flexible, conductive, and transparent inorganic film, a tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) film lined with a thin mica layer. This flexible heat-resistant ITO-mica film exhibited high conductivity and transparency, comparable to ITO deposited on glass substrate. The minimum radius of bending for the film, without any recognizable change in the conductivity and appearance, was 8 mm. The ITO deposited on mica showed a large (222) diffraction peak with a smaller (400) peak, in contrast to ITO deposited with (400) orientation on an ordinary glass substrate. Using the ITO-mica film, a prototype model of a flexible organic light emitting diode was fabricated

Reduction of buffer layer conduction near plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy grown GaN/AlN interfaces by beryllium doping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Storm, D.F.; Katzer, D.S.; Binari, S.C.; Glaser, E.R.; Shanabrook, B.V.; Roussos, J.A.

2002-01-01

Beryllium doping of epitaxial GaN layers is used to reduce leakage currents through interfacial or buffer conducting layers grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy on SiC. Capacitance-voltage measurements of Schottky barrier test structures and dc pinch-off characteristics of unintentionally doped GaN high-electron-mobility transistors indicate that these leakage currents are localized near the GaN/AlN interface of our AlGaN/GaN/AlN device structures. Insertion of a 2000 Aa Be:GaN layer at the interface reduces these currents by three orders of magnitude

Simultaneous enhancement of carrier mobility and concentration via tailoring of Al-chemical states in Al-ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Manish, E-mail: manishk@skku.edu; Wen, Long; Sahu, Bibhuti B. [Center for Advance Plasma Surface Technology (CAPST), NU-SKKU Joint Institute for Plasma-Nano Materials (IPNM), School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon-440746 (Korea, Republic of); Han, Jeon Geon [Center for Advance Plasma Surface Technology (CAPST), NU-SKKU Joint Institute for Plasma-Nano Materials (IPNM), School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon-440746 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai-50200 (Thailand)

2015-06-15

Simultaneously achieving higher carriers concentration and mobility is a technical challenge against up-scaling the transparent-conductive performances of transparent-conductive oxides. Utilizing one order higher dense (∼1 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup −3}) plasmas (in comparison to the conventional direct current plasmas), highly c-axis oriented Al-doped ZnO films have been prepared with precise control over relative composition and chemical states of constituting elements. Tailoring of intrinsic (O vacancies) and extrinsic (ionic Al and zero-valent Al) dopants provide simultaneous enhancement in mobility and concentration of charge carriers. Room-temperature resistivity as low as 4.89 × 10{sup −4} Ω cm along the carrier concentration 5.6 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} is obtained in 200 nm thick transparent films. Here, the control of atomic Al reduces the charge trapping at grain boundaries and subdues the effects of grain boundary scattering. A mechanism based on the correlation between electron-hole interaction and carrier mobility is proposed for degenerately doped wide band-gap semiconductors.

Thermoelectric properties of Al doped Mg{sub 2}Si material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaur, Kulwinder, E-mail: kulwindercmp@gmail.com; Kumar, Ranjan [Department of Physics, Center of Advanced Study in Physics, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160 014 (India); Rani, Anita [Department of Physics, Center of Advanced Study in Physics, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160 014 (India); Guru Nanak College for Girls, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Punjab (India)

2015-08-28

In the present paper we have calculated thermoelectric properties of Al doped Mg{sub 2}Si material (Mg{sub 2−x}Al{sub x}Si, x=0.06) using Pseudo potential plane wave method based on DFT and Semi classical Boltzmann theory. The calculations showed n-type conduction, indicating that the electrical conduction are due to electron. The electrical conductivity increasing with increasing temperature and the negative value of Seebeck Coefficient also show that the conduction is due to electron. The thermal conductivity was increased slightly by Al doping with increasing temperature due to the much larger contribution of lattice thermal conductivity over electronic thermal conductivity.

Natively textured surface hydrogenated gallium-doped zinc oxide transparent conductive thin films with buffer layers for solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Xin-liang, E-mail: cxlruzhou@163.com; Wang, Fei; Geng, Xin-hua; Huang, Qian; Zhao, Ying; Zhang, Xiao-dan

2013-09-02

Natively textured surface hydrogenated gallium-doped zinc oxide (HGZO) thin films have been deposited via magnetron sputtering on glass substrates. These natively textured HGZO thin films exhibit rough pyramid-like textured surface, high optical transmittances in the visible and near infrared region and excellent electrical properties. The experiment results indicate that tungsten-doped indium oxide (In{sub 2}O{sub 3}:W, IWO) buffer layers can effectively improve the surface roughness and enhance the light scattering ability of HGZO thin films. The root-mean-square roughness of HGZO, IWO (10 nm)/HGZO and IWO (30 nm)/HGZO thin films are 28, 44 and 47 nm, respectively. The haze values at the wavelength of 550 nm increase from 7.0% of HGZO thin film without buffer layer to 18.37% of IWO (10 nm)/HGZO thin film. The optimized IWO (10 nm)/HGZO exhibits a high optical transmittance of 82.18% in the visible and near infrared region (λ ∼ 400–1100 nm) and excellent electrical properties with a relatively low sheet resistance of 3.6 Ω/□ and the resistivity of 6.21 × 10{sup −4} Ωcm. - Highlights: • Textured hydrogenated gallium-doped zinc oxide (HGZO) films were developed. • Tungsten-doped indium oxide (IWO) buffer layers were applied for the HGZO films. • Light-scattering ability of the HGZO films can be improved through buffer layers. • Low sheet resistance and high haze were obtained for the IWO(10 nm)/HGZO film. • The IWO/HGZO films are promising transparent conductive layers for solar cells.

Current Spreading Layer with High Transparency and Conductivity for near-ultraviolet light emitting diodes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lin, Li; Jensen, Flemming; Herstrøm, Berit

Transparent conductive aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) layer was deposited on GaN-based near-ultraviolet (NUV) light emitting epitaxial wafers as current spreading layer by a sputtering process. Efforts were made to improve the electrical properties of AZO in order to produce ohmic contact....

Design of transparent conductors and periodic two-dimensional electron gases without doping

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiuwen; Zhang, Lijun; Zunger, Alex; Perkins, John; Materials by Design Team; John D. Perkins Collaboration

The functionality of transparency plus conductivity plays an important role in renewable energy and information technologies, including applications such as solar cells, touch-screen sensors, and flat panel display. However, materials with such seemingly contraindicated properties are difficult to come by. The traditional strategy for designing bulk transparent conductors (TCs) starts from a wide-gap insulator and finds ways to make it conductive by extensive doping. We propose a different strategy for TC design--starting with a metallic conductor and designing transparency by control of intrinsic interband transitions and intraband plasmonic frequency. We identified specific design principles for prototypical intrinsic TC classes and searched computationally for materials that satisfy them. The electron gases in the 3D intrinsic TCs demonstrate intriguing properties, such as periodic 2D electron gas regions with very high carrier density. We will discuss a more extended search of these functionalities, in parallel with stability and growability calculations

Effect of deposition temperature on the properties of Al-doped ZnO films prepared by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering for transparent electrodes in thin-film solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Doo-Soo; Park, Ji-Hyeon; Shin, Beom-Ki; Moon, Kyeong-Ju; Son, Myoungwoo; Ham, Moon-Ho; Lee, Woong; Myoung, Jae-Min

2012-10-01

A simple but scalable approach to the production of surface-textured Al-doped ZnO(AZO) films for low-cost transparent electrode applications in thin-film solar cells is introduced in this study by combining pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (PDMS) with wet etching in sequence. First, structural, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO films prepared by a PDMS were investigated as functions of deposition temperature to obtain transparent electrode films that can be used as indium-free alternative to ITO electrodes. Increase in the deposition temperature to 230 °C accompanied the improvement in crystalline quality and doping efficiency, which enabled the lowest electrical resistivity of 4.16 × 10-4 Ω cm with the carrier concentration of 1.65 × 1021 cm-3 and Hall mobility of 11.3 cm2/V s. The wet etching of the films in a diluted HCl solution resulted in surface roughening via the formation of crater-like structures without significant degradation in the electrical properties, which is responsible for the enhanced light scattering capability required for anti-reflective electrodes in thin film solar cells.

Atomic layer deposition of B-doped ZnO using triisopropyl borate as the boron precursor and comparison with Al-doped ZnO

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Garcia - Alonso, D.; Potts, S.E.; Helvoirt, van C.A.A.; Verheijen, M.A.; Kessels, W.M.M.

2015-01-01

Doped ZnO films are an important class of transparent conductive oxides, with many applications demanding increased growth control and low deposition temperatures. Therefore, the preparation of B-doped ZnO films by atomic layer deposition (ALD) at 150 °C was studied. The B source was triisopropyl

Improvement of Transparent Conducting Performance on Oxygen-Activated Fluorine-Doped Tin Oxide Electrodes Formed by Horizontal Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis Deposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Koo, Bon-Ryul; Oh, Dong-Hyeun; Riu, Doh-Hyung; Ahn, Hyo-Jin

2017-12-27

In this study, highly transparent conducting fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) electrodes were fabricated using the horizontal ultrasonic spray pyrolysis deposition. In order to improve their transparent conducting performances, we carried out oxygen activation by adjusting the ratio of O 2 /(O 2 +N 2 ) in the carrier gas (0%, 20%, and 50%) used during the deposition process. The oxygen activation on the FTO electrodes accelerated the substitution concentration of F (F O • ) into the oxygen sites in the FTO electrode while the oxygen vacancy (V O • • ) concentration was reduced. In addition, due to growth of pyramid-shaped crystallites with (200) preferred orientations, this oxygen activation caused the formation of a uniform surface structure. As a result, compared to others, the FTO electrode prepared at 50% O 2 showed excellent electrical and optical properties (sheet resistance of ∼4.0 ± 0.14 Ω/□, optical transmittance of ∼85.3%, and figure of merit of ∼5.09 ± 0.19 × 10 -2 Ω -1 ). This led to a superb photoconversion efficiency (∼7.03 ± 0.20%) as a result of the improved short-circuit current density. The photovoltaic performance improvement can be defined by the decreased sheet resistance of FTO used as a transparent conducting electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), which is due to the combined effect of the high carrier concentration by the improved F O • concentration on the FTO electrodes and the fasted Hall mobility by the formation of a uniform FTO surface structure and distortion relaxation on the FTO lattices resulting from the reduced V O • • • concentration.

Silver Nanowire Transparent Conductive Films with High Uniformity Fabricated via a Dynamic Heating Method.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Yonggao; Chen, Chao; Jia, Dan; Li, Shuxin; Ji, Shulin; Ye, Changhui

2016-04-20

The uniformity of the sheet resistance of transparent conductive films is one of the most important quality factors for touch panel applications. However, the uniformity of silver nanowire transparent conductive films is far inferior to that of indium-doped tin oxide (ITO). Herein, we report a dynamic heating method using infrared light to achieve silver nanowire transparent conductive films with high uniformity. This method can overcome the coffee ring effect during the drying process and suppress the aggregation of silver nanowires in the film. A nonuniformity factor of the sheet resistance of the as-prepared silver nanowire transparent conductive films could be as low as 6.7% at an average sheet resistance of 35 Ω/sq and a light transmittance of 95% (at 550 nm), comparable to that of high-quality ITO film in the market. In addition, a mechanical study shows that the sheet resistance of the films has little change after 5000 bending cycles, and the film could be used in touch panels for human-machine interactive input. The highly uniform and mechanically stable silver nanowire transparent conductive films meet the requirement for many significant applications and could play a key role in the display market in a near future.

The Influence of α- and γ-Al2O3 Phases on the Thermoelectric Properties of Al-doped ZnO

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Han, Li; Van Nong, Ngo; Le, Thanh Hung

2013-01-01

A systematic investigation on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of Al-doped ZnO using α- and γ-Al2O3 as dopants was conducted in order to understand the doping effect and its mechanism. The samples were prepared by the spark plasma sintering technique from precursors calcined...... at various temperatures. Clear differences in microstructure and thermoelectric properties were observed between the samples doped with α- and γ-Al2O3. At any given calcination temperature, γ-Al2O3 resulted in the formation of a larger amount of the ZnAl2O4 phase in the Al-doped ZnO samples. The average...... grain size was found to be smaller for the γ-Al2O3-doped samples than that for the α-Al2O3-doped ones under the same sintering condition. It is proposed that the ZnAl2O4 phase is the reason for the observed suppression of grain growth and also for the slightly reduced lattice thermal conductivity...

Nitrogen-doped graphene as transparent counter electrode for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Guiqiang; Fang, Yanyan; Lin, Yuan; Xing, Wei; Zhuo, Shuping

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► NG sheets are prepared through a hydrothermal reduction of graphite oxide. ► The transparent NG counter electrodes of DSCs are fabricated at room temperature. ► Transparent NG electrode exhibits excellent catalytic activity for the reduction of I 3 − . ► The DSC with NG electrode achieves a comparable efficiency to that of the Pt-based cell. ► The efficiency of rear illumination is about 85% that of front illumination. -- Abstract: Nitrogen-doped graphene sheets are prepared through a hydrothermal reduction of graphite oxide in the presence of ammonia and applied to fabricate the transparent counter electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells. The atomic percentage of nitrogen in doped graphene sample is about 2.5%, and the nitrogen bonds display pyridine and pyrrole-like configurations. Cyclic voltammetry studies demonstrate a much higher electrocatalytic activity toward I − /I 3 − redox reaction for nitrogen-doped graphene, as compared with pristine graphene. The dye-sensitized solar cell with this transparent nitrogen-doped graphene counter electrode shows conversion efficiencies of 6.12% and 5.23% corresponding to front-side and rear-side illumination, respectively. Meanwhile, the cell with a Pt counter electrode shows a conversion efficiency of 6.97% under the same experimental condition. These promising results highlight the potential application of nitrogen-doped graphene in cost-effective, transparent dye-sensitized solar cells.

Characterization of Al-Doped ZnO Transparent Conducting Thin Film Prepared by Off-Axis Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sin-Liang Ou

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The off-axis sputtering technique was used to deposit Al-doped ZnO (AZO films on glass substrates at room temperature. For the illustration of the sample position in the sputtering chamber, the value of R/r is introduced. Here, r is the radius of AZO target and R is the distance between the sample and the center of substrate holder. A systematic study for the effect of deposition parameters on structural, optical, and electrical properties of AZO films has been investigated in detail. As the sample position of R/r is fixed at 1.8, it is found that the as-deposited AZO film has relatively low resistivity of 2.67 × 10−3 Ω-cm and high transmittance above 80% in the visible region. Additionally, after rapid thermal annealing (RTA at 600°C with N2 atmosphere, the resistivity of this AZO film can be further reduced to 1.19 × 10−3 Ω-cm. This indicates the AZO films prepared by off-axis magnetron sputtering and treated via the appropriate RTA process have great potential in optoelectronic applications.

Sputtering characteristics, crystal structures, and transparent conductive properties of TiO{sub x}N{sub y} films deposited on {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}(0 0 0 1) and glass substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akazawa, Housei, E-mail: akazawa.housei@lab.ntt.co.jp [NTT Microsystem Integration Laboratories, 3-1 Morinosato Wakamiya, Atsugi, Kanagawa 243-0198 (Japan)

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Reactive sputtering of TiO{sub x}N{sub y} films was achieved under metal-mode conditions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Partially substituting O in TiO{sub 2} with N formed anatase rather than rutile. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x} on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}(0 0 0 1) was more transparent and conductive than on glass substrate. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nb{sup 5+} ions could be doped as donors in TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x} anatase crystals. - Abstract: Adding N{sub 2} gas during reactive sputtering of a Ti target prevented the target surface from being severely poisoned by oxygen atoms and sustained a high deposition rate for titanium oxynitride films under metal-mode-like sputtering conditions. With progress in the degree of oxidization, films deposited onto a glass substrate varied from TiO{sub 1-x}N{sub x} having a face-centered cubic (fcc) structure to TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x} having an anatase structure. Titanium oxynitride films deposited on an Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}(0 0 0 1) substrate were epitaxial with major orientations toward the (1 1 1) and (2 0 0) directions for fcc-TiO{sub 1-x}N{sub x} and (1 1 2) for anatase-TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x}. Intermediately oxidized films between TiO{sub 1-x}N{sub x} and TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x} were amorphous on the glass substrate but crystallized into a Magneli phase, Ti{sub n}O(N){sub 2n-1}, on the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}(0 0 0 1) substrate. Partially substituting oxygen in TiO{sub 2} with nitrogen as well as continuously irradiating the growing film surface with a Xe plasma stream preferentially formed anatase rather than rutile. However, the occupation of anion sites with enough oxygen rather than nitrogen was the required condition for anatase crystals to form. The transparent conductive properties of epitaxial TiO{sub 2-x}N{sub x} films on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}(0 0 0 1) were superior to those of microcrystalline films on the glass substrate. Since resistivity and optical transmittance of Ti

Transparent capacitors with hybrid ZnO:Al and Ag nanowires as electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Guozhen; Wu, Hao; Wang, Xiao; Wang, Ti; Liu, Chang

2016-01-01

Transparent conducting films with a composite structure of AlZnO–Ag nanowires (AgNWs) have been prepared by atomic layer deposition. The sheet resistance was reduced from 120 to 9 Ω when the AgNW networks were involved. Transparent capacitors with Al_2O_3–TiO_2–Al_2O_3 dielectrics were fabricated on the composite electrodes and demonstrated a capacitance density of 10.1 fF μm"−"2, which was significantly higher than that of capacitors with AlZnO electrodes (8.8 fF μm"−"1). The capacitance density remained almost unchanged in a broad frequency range from 3 kHz to 1 MHz. Moreover, a low leakage current density of 2.4 × 10"−"7 A cm"−"2 at 1 V was achieved. Transparent and flexible capacitors were also fabricated using the composite electrodes, and demonstrated an improved bendability. The transparent capacitors showed an average optical transmittance over 70% in the visible range, and thus open the door to practical applications in transparent integrated circuits. (paper)

Transparent Conducting Films with Multilayered Structures Formed by Carbon Nanotubes and Reduced Graphene Oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Jie Hun; Jang, Hyun Chul; Choi, Jung Mi; Hyeon, Jae Young; Sok, Jung Hyun

2014-01-01

The replacement for indium tin oxide (ITO) in electronic displays should have comparable optical transmittance and electrical conductivity while being easy to source and manufacture. However, novel materials such as single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and reduced graphene oxides (RGOs) are incapable of addressing these challenges. We demonstrate a simple method to fabricate good transparent conductive films (TCFs) by combining and leveraging the superior optical transparency of RGOs and the excellent electrical conductivity of SWCNTs. This method affords thin multilayers of SWCNTs and RGOs with excellent optical and electrical properties because these properties are correlated with spraying time and the amount of SWCNTs or RGOs. In general, transmittance is advantageous to RGO as conductance is to CNTs. With a view to finding good TCFs with reduced sheet resistance, but with little sacrifice of transmittance, it is natural to explore the combination of CNT and RGO. The sandwiched multilayer of SWCNTs and RGOs exhibited a low sheet resistance of 214.2 Ω/sq, which was comparable to that of SWCNTs, and a transmittance of 60% at a wavelength of 550 nm. To further reduce the sheet resistance and improve the transparency of the multilayer TCFs, Au doping was carried out. The doping, in combination with controlled spraying of the amount of SWCNTs and RGOs, led to multilayers with resistance/transmittance combinations of 141.3 Ω/sq and 70% and 371.5 Ω/sq and 83%. These properties meet the requisite criteria for an ITO replacement.

Properties of TiO2-based transparent conducting oxide thin films on GaN(0001) surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kasai, J.; Nakao, S.; Yamada, N.; Hitosugi, T.; Moriyama, M.; Goshonoo, K.; Hoang, N. L. H.; Hasegawa, T.

2010-01-01

Anatase Nb-doped TiO 2 transparent conducting oxide has been formed on GaN(0001) surfaces using a sputtering method. Amorphous films deposited at room temperature were annealed at a substrate temperature of 500 deg. C in vacuum to form single-phase anatase films. Films with a thickness of 170 nm exhibited a resistivity of 8x10 -4 Ω cm with absorptance less than 5% at a wavelength of 460 nm. Furthermore, the refractive index of the Nb-doped TiO 2 was well matched to that of GaN. These findings indicate that Nb-doped TiO 2 is a promising material for use as transparent electrodes in GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs), particularly since reflection at the electrode/GaN boundary can be suppressed, enhancing the external quantum efficiency of blue LEDs.

Controlled Al3+ Incorporation in the ZnO Lattice at 188 °C by Soft Reactive Co-Sputtering for Transparent Conductive Oxides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salvatore Sanzaro

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Transparent conductive oxide (TCO layers, to be implemented in photo-anodes for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs, were prepared by co-deposition of ZnO and Al using pulsed-direct current (DC-magnetron reactive sputtering processes. The films were deposited at low deposition temperatures (RT-188 °C and at fixed working pressure (1.4 Pa using soft power loading conditions to avoid intrinsic extra-heating. To compensate the layer stoichiometry, O2 was selectively injected close to the sample in a small percentage (Ar:O2 = 69 sccm:2 sccm. We expressly applied the deposition temperature as a controlling parameter to tune the incorporation of the Al3+ species in the targeted position inside the ZnO lattice. With this method, Aluminum-doped Zinc Oxide films (ZnO:Al were grown following the typical wurtzite structure, as demonstrated by X-ray Diffraction analyses. A combination of micro-Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE analyses has shown that the incorporated host-atoms are Al3+ species in Zn2+ substitutional position; their amount increases following a direct monotonic trend with the deposition temperature. Correspondently, the c-axis strain into the layer decreases due to the progressive ordering of the lattice structure and reducing clustering phenomena. The maximum average Al content inside the film was ~2%, as measured by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX spectroscopy, with a uniform distribution of the dopant species along the layer thickness traced by depth-profile XPS analyses. The optimised ZnO:Al layer, deposited at a rate of ~7 nm/min, exhibits high transmittance in the visible range (~85% and low resistivity values (~13 mΩ × cm. The material therefore fulfils all the requirements to be candidate as TCO for low-cost DSCs on flexible substrates for large area technologies.

High conductivity and transparent aluminum-based multi-layer source/drain electrodes for thin film transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Rihui; Zhang, Hongke; Fang, Zhiqiang; Ning, Honglong; Zheng, Zeke; Li, Xiaoqing; Zhang, Xiaochen; Cai, Wei; Lu, Xubing; Peng, Junbiao

2018-02-01

In this study, high conductivity and transparent multi-layer (AZO/Al/AZO-/Al/AZO) source/drain (S/D) electrodes for thin film transistors were fabricated via conventional physical vapor deposition approaches, without toxic elements or further thermal annealing process. The 68 nm-thick multi-layer films with excellent optical properties (transparency: 82.64%), good electrical properties (resistivity: 6.64  ×  10-5 Ω m, work function: 3.95 eV), and superior surface roughness (R q   =  0.757 nm with scanning area of 5  ×  5 µm2) were fabricated as the S/D electrodes. Significantly, comprehensive performances of AZO films are enhanced by the insertion of ultra-thin Al layers. The optimal transparent TFT with this multi-layer S/D electrodes exhibited a decent electrical performance with a saturation mobility (µ sat) of 3.2 cm2 V-1 s-1, an I on/I off ratio of 1.59  ×  106, a subthreshold swing of 1.05 V/decade. The contact resistance of AZO/Al/AZO/Al/AZO multi-layer electrodes is as low as 0.29 MΩ. Moreover, the average visible light transmittance of the unpatterned multi-layers constituting a whole transparent TFT could reach 72.5%. The high conductivity and transparent multi-layer S/D electrodes for transparent TFTs possessed great potential for the applications of the green and transparent displays industry.

Transparent conducting oxide top contacts for organic electronics

KAUST Repository

Franklin, Joseph B.

2014-01-01

A versatile method for the deposition of transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layers directly onto conjugated polymer thin film substrates is presented. Using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) we identify a narrow window of growth conditions that permit the deposition of highly transparent, low sheet resistance aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) without degradation of the polymer film. Deposition on conjugated polymers mandates the use of low growth temperatures (<200°C), here we deposit AZO onto poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) thin films at 150°C, and investigate the microstructural and electrical properties of the AZO as the oxygen pressure in the PLD chamber is varied (5-75 mTorr). The low oxygen pressure conditions previously optimized for AZO deposition on rigid substrates are shown to be unsuitable, resulting in catastrophic damage of the polymer films. By increasing the oxygen pressure, thus reducing the energy of the ablated species, we identify conditions that allow direct deposition of continuous, transparent AZO films without P3HT degradation. We find that uptake of oxygen into the AZO films reduces the intrinsic charge carriers and AZO films with a measured sheet resistance of approximately 500 Ω □-1 can be prepared. To significantly reduce this value we identify a novel process in which AZO is deposited over a range of oxygen pressures-enabling the deposition of highly transparent AZO with sheet resistances below 50 Ω □-1 directly onto P3HT. We propose these low resistivity films are widely applicable as transparent top-contacts in a range of optoelectronic devices and highlight this by demonstrating the operation of a semi-transparent photovoltaic device. © 2014 The Royal Society of Chemistry. 2014.

Preparation of Aluminum Nanomesh Thin Films from an Anodic Aluminum Oxide Template as Transparent Conductive Electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yiwen; Chen, Yulong; Qiu, Mingxia; Yu, Hongyu; Zhang, Xinhai; Sun, Xiao Wei; Chen, Rui

2016-02-01

We have employed anodic aluminum oxide as a template to prepare ultrathin, transparent, and conducting Al films with a unique nanomesh structure for transparent conductive electrodes. The anodic aluminum oxide template is obtained through direct anodization of a sputtered Al layer on a glass substrate, and subsequent wet etching creates the nanomesh metallic film. The optical and conductive properties are greatly influenced by experimental conditions. By tuning the anodizing time, transparent electrodes with appropriate optical transmittance and sheet resistance have been obtained. The results demonstrate that our proposed strategy can serve as a potential method to fabricate low-cost TCEs to replace conventional indium tin oxide materials.

Electrical and optical performance of transparent conducting oxide films deposited by electrostatic spray assisted vapour deposition.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Xianghui; Choy, Kwang-Leong; Liu, Jun-Peng

2011-09-01

Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films have the remarkable combination of high electrical conductivity and optical transparency. There is always a strong motivation to produce TCO films with good performance at low cost. Electrostatic Spray Assisted Vapor Deposition (ESAVD), as a variant of chemical vapour deposition (CVD), is a non-vacuum and low-cost deposition method. Several types of TCO films have been deposited using ESAVD process, including indium tin oxide (ITO), antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO), and fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO). This paper reports the electrical and optical properties of TCO films produced by ESAVD methods, as well as the effects of post treatment by plasma hydrogenation on these TCO films. The possible mechanisms involved during plasma hydrogenation of TCO films are also discussed. Reduction and etching effect during plasma hydrogenation are the most important factors which determine the optical and electrical performance of TCO films.

Nanostructured Transparent Conducting Oxides for Device Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Dutta, Titas

2011-12-01

Research on transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) alternative to indium tin oxide (ITO) has attracted a lot of attention due to the serious concern related to cost and chemical stability of indium tin oxide. The primary aim of this research is to develop low cost alternative transparent conducting oxides with an eye towards (1) increasing the organic solar cell efficiency and (2) fabricating transparent electronic devices utilizing p-type TCOs. To investigate the fundamental properties, the novel TCO films have been grown on sapphire and economical glass substrates using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The films were also grown under different deposition conditions in order to understand the effect of processing parameters on the film properties. The characteristics of the thin films have been investigated in detail using (X-ray diffraction, TEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV- photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), four probe resistivity and UV-Vis transmittance measurements) in order to establish processing-structure-property correlation. ZnO doped with group III elements is a promising candidate because of its superior stability in hydrogen environment, benign nature and relatively inexpensive supply. However, ZnO based TCO films suffer from low work function (4.4 eV, compared to that of 4.8 eV for ITO), which increases the energy barrier and affects the carrier transport across ZnGa0.05O/organic layer interface. To overcome this issue of ZnO based TCOs, the growth of bilayered structure consisting of very thin MoOx (2.0 target composition. These optimized bilayer films exhibited good optical transmittance (≥ 80%) and low resistivity of ˜ 10-4 O-cm. The optimized NiO1+x / GZO and MoOx / GZO bilayers showed significant increase in work function values (˜5.3 eV). The work function of the bilayer films was tuned by varying the processing conditions and doping of over layers. Preliminary test device results of the organic photovoltaic cells (OPVs

Indium doped Cd{sub 1-x}Zn{sub x}O alloys as wide window transparent conductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Wei [Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Department of Physics, The Center for Physical Experiments, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Yu, Kin Man, E-mail: kinmanyu@cityu.edu.hk [Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon (Hong Kong); Walukiewicz, W. [Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States)

2015-12-31

We have synthesized Indium doped Cd{sub 1-x}Zn{sub x}O alloys across the full composition range using magnetron sputtering method. The crystallographic structure of these alloys changes from rocksalt (RS) to wurtzite (WZ) when the Zn content is higher than 30%. The rocksalt phase alloys in the composition range 0 < x < 0.3 can be efficiently n-type doped, shifting the absorption edge to 3.25 eV and reducing resistivity to about 2.0 × 10{sup −4} Ω-cm. We found that In doped CdO (ICO) transmits more solar photons than commercial fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) with comparable sheet conductivity. The infrared transmittance is further extended to longer than 1500 nm wavelengths by depositing the In doped Cd{sub 1-x}Zn{sub x}O in ~ 1% of O{sub 2}. This material has a potential for applications as a transparent conductor for silicon and multi-junction solar cells. - Highlights: • Indium doped Cd1-xZnxO alloys across the full composition range were synthesized. • Alloys change from rocksalt (RS) to wurtzite (WZ) when x is higher than 30%. • RS-Cd1-xZnxO phase can be doped with In as efficiently as CdO, achieving a low resistivity ~ 2.0 × 10{sup −4} Ω-cm. • Wide transparency window from 380 to 1200 nm • In doped CdO transmits more solar photons than commercial fluorine doped tin oxide.

Probing the doping mechanisms and electrical properties of Al, Ga and In doped ZnO prepared by spray pyrolysis

KAUST Repository

Maller, Robert

2016-05-24

The measured structural, optical and electrical properties of Al, Ga and In doped ZnO films deposited using spray pyrolysis are reported over the doping range 0.1 - 3 atomic percent (at. %). Over the entire doping series highly transparent, polycrystalline thin films are prepared. Using the AC Hall effect we probe the electronic properties of our doped films separating the impact of doping on the measured charge carrier concentrations and Hall mobility, with an emphasis on the low doping, < 1 at. %, range. In this doping range highly resistive films are formed and we highlight AC Hall as a reliable and highly reproducible technique for analysing the doping mechanism. The implementation of a simple, post-deposition heat treatment of our AZO films creates typical films with charge carrier concentrations exceeding > 1019 cm-3 and electron mobilities over 10 cm2/Vs. We describe in detail the nature of the defect chemistry and the role of intrinsic defects, particularly traps, and show that despite significant variations in dopant species and grain boundary concentrations that the defect chemistry dominates the electrical characteristics.

Probing the doping mechanisms and electrical properties of Al, Ga and In doped ZnO prepared by spray pyrolysis

KAUST Repository

Maller, Robert; Porte, Yoann; Alshareef, Husam N.; McLachlan, Martyn

2016-01-01

The measured structural, optical and electrical properties of Al, Ga and In doped ZnO films deposited using spray pyrolysis are reported over the doping range 0.1 - 3 atomic percent (at. %). Over the entire doping series highly transparent, polycrystalline thin films are prepared. Using the AC Hall effect we probe the electronic properties of our doped films separating the impact of doping on the measured charge carrier concentrations and Hall mobility, with an emphasis on the low doping, < 1 at. %, range. In this doping range highly resistive films are formed and we highlight AC Hall as a reliable and highly reproducible technique for analysing the doping mechanism. The implementation of a simple, post-deposition heat treatment of our AZO films creates typical films with charge carrier concentrations exceeding > 1019 cm-3 and electron mobilities over 10 cm2/Vs. We describe in detail the nature of the defect chemistry and the role of intrinsic defects, particularly traps, and show that despite significant variations in dopant species and grain boundary concentrations that the defect chemistry dominates the electrical characteristics.

An Indium-Free Anode for Large-Area Flexible OLEDs: Defect-Free Transparent Conductive Zinc Tin Oxide

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morales-Masis, M.; Dauzou, F.; Jeangros, Q.; Dabirian, A.; Lifka, H.; Gierth, R.; Ruske, M.; Moet, D.; Hessler-Wyser, A.; Ballif, C.

2016-01-01

Flexible large-area organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) require highly conductive and transparent anodes for efficient and uniform light emission. Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) is the standard anode in industry. However, due to the scarcity of indium, alternative anodes that eliminate its use are

Determination of Al concentration in Al doped ZnO using Auger spectra excited by Mo X-rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toth, J.; Koever, L.; Cserny, I.; Varga, D.

2006-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. A good conductor with excellent transparency is of crucial importance for the window layer of CIGS solar cells. Al doped ZnO is a good candidate for this purpose, its conductivity depends on the concentration and chemical state of the Al dopant atoms. It was demonstrated that the non-conventional XPS using Mo X-rays for excitation is a very sensitive tool for the detection of Al, P, Si [1, 2, 3]. The present paper compares the experimental ratios for Zn/Al photoinduced peak intensity ratios obtained using both Al and Mo X-ray excitations. The Mo excited Zn/Al intensity ratios can be determined with higher selectivity and sensitivity than the Zn/Al intensity ratios excited by Al X-rays. The experiments were performed with a hemispherical deflector electron spectrometer [4]. The chemical state of the Al was identified to be close to that in Al 2 O 3 . The atomic concentrations were determined using a calibration curve based on ZnO/Al samples with known composition of Al. The energy dependent efficiency of the electron spectrometer was determined comparing REELS spectra of Cu specimen to standard spectra measured by K. Goto (Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan). For evaluation of the Al atomic concentrations from the measured photoelectron intensities the photoionisation cross-sections of Band et al [5] and the IMFP data of S. Tanuma et al [6] and C.J. Powell and A. Jablonski [7] were used. (author)

Formation of electrically conducting, transparent films using silver nanoparticles connected by carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Sunna; Noh, Sun Young; Kim, Heesuk; Park, Min; Lee, Hyunjung

2014-01-01

To achieve both optical transparency and electrical conductivity simultaneously, we fabricated a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)/silver fiber-based transparent conductive film using silver fibers produced by the electrospinning method. Electrospun silver fibers provided a segregated structure with the silver nanoparticles within the fibrous microstructures as a framework. Additional deposition of SWNT/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) layers resulted in a remarkable decrease in the surface resistance from very high value (> 3000 kΩ/sq) for the films of electrospun silver fibers, without affecting the optical transmittance at 550 nm. The surface resistance of the SWNT/silver film after the deposition of three layers decreased to 17 Ω/sq with 80% transmittance. Successive depositions of SWNT/PEDOT:PSS layers reduced the surface resistance to 2 Ω/sq without severe loss in optical transmittance (ca. 65%). The transparent conductive films exhibited a performance comparable to that of commercial indium tin oxide films. The individual silver nanoparticles within the electrospun fibers on the substrate were interconnected with SWNTs, which resulted in the efficient activation of a conductive network by bridging the gaps among separate silver nanoparticles. Such a construction of microscopically conductive networks with the minimum use of electrically conductive nanomaterials produced superior electrical conductivity, while maintaining the optical transparency. - Highlights: • Silver fibrous structures were produced by electrospinning method. • SWNTs/PEDOT:PSS was deposited on silver fibrous structures. • These films exhibited a low sheet resistance (∼ 17 Ω/sq) at ∼ 80% optical transparency. • Successive depositions of SWNT/PEDOT:PSS layers reduced the surface resistance to 2 Ω/sq

Vacuum-annealing induced enhancements in the transparent conducting properties of Mo  +  F doped ZnO thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Dineshbabu, N.; Ravichandran, K.

2017-09-01

The decisive aim of the present study is to enhance the transparent conducting properties of Mo  +  F co-doped ZnO films through annealing. In this work, Mo  +  F co-doped ZnO (MFZO) films were deposited on glass substrates at a deposition temperature of 350 °C using a home-made nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique and the prepared samples were annealed under air and vacuum atmosphere at 400 °C for 2 h. The structural, electrical, optical, surface morphological and elemental properties of as-deposited, air-annealed and vacuum-annealed samples were compared using various analytical techniques. The vacuum-annealed sample shows lowest resistivity of 1.364  ×  10-3 Ω cm and high transmittance of 90% in the visible region with high ohmic conducting nature. The optical bandgap of the sample was found to be increased to 3.36 eV after vacuum annealing treatment. The XRD patterns of the films confirmed the polycrystalline nature. The PL measurements show the defect levels of the deposited films. The FESEM and AFM studies show an increase in the grain size and roughness of the films, respectively, after vacuum-annealing treatment. The presence of the elements before and after annealing treatment was confirmed using XPS analysis.

Effects of (Al,Ge) double doping on the thermoelectric properties of higher manganese silicides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Xi; Salta, Daniel; Zhang, Libin [Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States); Weathers, Annie [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States); Zhou, Jianshi; Goodenough, John B.; Shi, Li [Materials Science and Engineering Program, Texas Materials Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States); Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)

2013-11-07

Experiments and analysis have been carried out to investigate the effects of Al and (Al,Ge) doping on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline higher manganese silicide (HMS) samples, which were prepared by solid-state reaction, ball milling, and followed by spark plasma sintering. It has been found that Al doping effectively increases the hole concentration, which leads to an increase in the electrical conductivity and power factor. By introducing the second dopant Ge into Al-doped HMS, the electrical conductivity is increased, and the Seebeck coefficient is decreased as a result of further increased hole concentration. The peak power factor is found to occur at a hole concentration between 1.8 × 10{sup 21} and 2.2 × 10{sup 21} cm{sup −3} measured at room temperature. The (Al,Ge)-doped HMS samples show lower power factors owing to their higher hole concentrations. The mobility of Mn(Al{sub 0.0035}Ge{sub y}Si{sub 0.9965-y}){sub 1.8} with y = 0.035 varies approximately as T{sup −3/2} above 200 K, suggesting acoustic phonon scattering is the dominant scattering mechanism. The thermal conductivity of HMS does not change appreciably by Al or (Al,Ge) doping. The maximum ZT of (Al,Ge)-doped HMS is 0.57 at 823 K, which is similar to the highest value found in the Al-doped HMS samples. The ZT values were reduced in the Mn(Al{sub 0.0035}Ge{sub y}Si{sub 0.9965-y}){sub 1.8} samples with high Ge concentration of y = 0.025 and 0.035, because of reduced power factor. In addition, a two-band model was employed to show that the hole contribution to the thermal conductivity dominates the bipolar and electron contributions for all samples from 300 to 823 K and accounts for about 12% of the total thermal conductivity at about 800 K.

Effects of (Al,Ge) double doping on the thermoelectric properties of higher manganese silicides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Xi; Salta, Daniel; Zhang, Libin; Weathers, Annie; Zhou, Jianshi; Goodenough, John B.; Shi, Li

2013-01-01

Experiments and analysis have been carried out to investigate the effects of Al and (Al,Ge) doping on the microstructure and thermoelectric properties of polycrystalline higher manganese silicide (HMS) samples, which were prepared by solid-state reaction, ball milling, and followed by spark plasma sintering. It has been found that Al doping effectively increases the hole concentration, which leads to an increase in the electrical conductivity and power factor. By introducing the second dopant Ge into Al-doped HMS, the electrical conductivity is increased, and the Seebeck coefficient is decreased as a result of further increased hole concentration. The peak power factor is found to occur at a hole concentration between 1.8 × 10 21 and 2.2 × 10 21  cm −3 measured at room temperature. The (Al,Ge)-doped HMS samples show lower power factors owing to their higher hole concentrations. The mobility of Mn(Al 0.0035 Ge y Si 0.9965-y ) 1.8 with y = 0.035 varies approximately as T −3/2 above 200 K, suggesting acoustic phonon scattering is the dominant scattering mechanism. The thermal conductivity of HMS does not change appreciably by Al or (Al,Ge) doping. The maximum ZT of (Al,Ge)-doped HMS is 0.57 at 823 K, which is similar to the highest value found in the Al-doped HMS samples. The ZT values were reduced in the Mn(Al 0.0035 Ge y Si 0.9965-y ) 1.8 samples with high Ge concentration of y = 0.025 and 0.035, because of reduced power factor. In addition, a two-band model was employed to show that the hole contribution to the thermal conductivity dominates the bipolar and electron contributions for all samples from 300 to 823 K and accounts for about 12% of the total thermal conductivity at about 800 K

Structural and physical properties of transparent conducting, amorphous Zn-doped SnO2 films

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Q.; Ma, Q.; Buchholz, D. B.; Chang, R. P. H.; Bedzyk, M. J.; Mason, T. O.

2014-01-01

The structural and physical properties of conducting amorphous Zn-doped SnO2 (a-ZTO) films, prepared by pulsed laser deposition, were investigated as functions of oxygen deposition pressure (pO2), composition, and thermal annealing. X-ray scattering and X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements reveal that at higher pO2, the a-ZTO films are highly transparent and have a structural framework similar to that found in crystalline (c-), rutile SnO2 in which the Sn4+ ion is octahedrally coordinated by 6 O2- ions. The Sn4+ ion in these films however has a coordination number (CN) smaller by 2%-3% than that in c-SnO2, indicating the presence of oxygen vacancies, which are the likely source of charge carriers. At lower pO2, the a-ZTO films show a brownish tint and contain some 4-fold coordinated Sn2+ ions. Under no circumstances is the CN around the Zn2+ ion larger than 4, and the Zn-O bond is shorter than the Sn-O bond by 0.07 Å. The addition of Zn has no impact on the electroneutrality but improves significantly the thermal stability of the films. Structural changes due to pO2, composition, and thermal annealing account well for the changes in the physical properties of a-ZTO films.

Physical properties of electrically conductive Sb-doped SnO2 transparent electrodes by thermal annealing dependent structural changes for photovoltaic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leem, J.W.; Yu, J.S.

2011-01-01

Highlights: · The physical properties of sputtered Sb-doped SnO 2 after annealing were studied. · The figure of merit was estimated from the integral PFD and sheet resistance. · The characteristics of Sb-doped SnO 2 films were optimized by the figure of merit. · An optimized Sb-doped SnO 2 layer is promising for high efficiency photovoltaic cells. - Abstract: We have investigated the optical and electrical characteristics of antimony (Sb)-doped tin oxide (SnO 2 ) films with modified structures by thermal annealing as a transparent conductive electrode. The structural properties were analyzed from the relative void % by spectroscopic ellipsometry as well as the scanning electron microscopy images and X-ray diffraction patterns. As the annealing temperature was raised, Sb-doped SnO 2 films exhibited a slightly enhanced crystallinity with the increase of the grain size from 17.1 nm at 500 deg. C to 34.3 nm at 700 deg. C. Furthermore, the refractive index and extinction coefficient gradually decreased due to the increase in the relative void % within the film during the annealing. The resistivity decreased to 8.2 x 10 -3 Ω cm at 500 deg. C, but it increased rapidly at 700 deg. C. After thermal annealing, the optical transmittance was significantly increased. For photovoltaic applications, the photonic flux density and the figure of merit over the entire solar spectrum were obtained, indicating the highest values of 5.4 x 10 14 cm -2 s -1 nm -1 at 1.85 eV after annealing at 700 deg. C and 340.1 μA cm -2 Ω -1 at 500 deg. C, respectively.

Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} doping of TiO{sub 2} electrodes and applications in dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eom, Tae Sung; Kim, Kyung Hwan; Bark, Chung Wung; Choi, Hyung Wook [Gachon University, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of)

2014-08-15

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have been intensively studied since their discovery in 1991. DSSCs have been extensively researched over the past decades as cheaper alternatives to silicon solar cells due to their high energy-conversion efficiency and their low production cost. However, some problems need to be solved in order to enhance the efficiency of DSSCs. In particular, the electron recombination that occurs due to the contact between the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and a redox electrolyte is one of the main limiting factors of efficiency. In this work, we report for the first time the improvement of the photovoltaic characteristics of DSSCs by doping TiO{sub 2} with Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. DSSCs were constructed using composite particles of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-doped TiO{sub 2} and TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles. The DSSCs using Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} showed the maximum conversion efficiency of 6.29% due to effective electron transport. DSSCs based on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-doped TiO{sub 2} films showed better photovoltaic performance than cells fabricated with only TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles. This result is attributed to the prevention of electron recombination between electrons in the TiO{sub 2} conduction band with holes in the dye or the electrolyte. There mechanism is suggested based on impedance results, which indicated improved electron transport at the TiO{sub 2}/dye/electrolyte interface.

Effect of the thickness and hydrogen treatment on the properties of Ga-doped ZnO transparent conductive films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Min-Jung; Lim, Jinhyong; Bang, Jungsik; Lee, Woong; Myoung, Jae-Min

2008-01-01

Combined effects of the thickness and hydrogen post-annealing treatment on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) films were investigated as a potential substitute for indium tin oxide transparent conductive oxide. In the as-deposited films, microstructural evolution initially improved the crystallinity up to the thickness of 160 nm accompanying enhanced electrical and optical properties, but further thickness increase resulted in the deterioration of these properties attributable to the development of ZnGa 2 O 4 and Ga 2 O 3 phases originating from the excessive amount of the Ga dopant. Post-annealing treatment of the GZO films in a hydrogen atmosphere improved the electrical and optical properties substantially through possible reduction of the oxide phases and passivation of the surfaces and grain boundaries. In this case, electrical and optical properties remained almost similar for the thickness above 160 nm indicating that there exists a certain optimal film thickness.

Wide bandgap Mg-doped ZnAlO thin films for optoelectronic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, R.K.; Ghosh, K.; Patel, R.; Kahol, P.K.

2009-01-01

Magnesium-doped ZnAlO thin films were grown on quartz substrate by ablating the sintered target with a KrF excimer laser. The effect of growth temperature from 30 deg. C to 700 deg. C on structural, optical, and electrical properties has been studied. These films are highly transparent in visible spectrum with average transmittance of 82%. The films grown at low temperature are amorphous while films grown at high temperature are crystalline in nature. These films are highly oriented along (0 0 2) direction. The electrical conductivity, carrier concentration, and electron mobility is found to increase with increase in temperature and then decreases with further increase in temperature. The bandgap is found to vary from 3.86 eV to 4.00 eV for various films

MOCVD growth of transparent conducting Cd2SnO4 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metz, A.W.; Poeppelmeier, K.R.; Marks, T.J.; Lane, M.A.; Kannewurt, C.R.

2004-01-01

The first preparation of transparent conducting Cd 2 SnO 4 thin films by a simple MOCVD process is described. As-deposited films using Cd(hfa) 2 (TMEDA) (Figure), at 365 C are found to be highly crystalline with a relatively wide range of grain size of 100-300 nm. XRD indicates a cubic spinel Cd 2 SnO 4 crystal structure and the possible presence of a small amount of CdO. The films exhibit conductivities of 2170 S/cm and a bandgap of 3.3 eV, rivaling those of commercial tin-doped indium oxide. (Abstract Copyright [2004], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Amorphous and crystalline In_2O_3-based transparent conducting films for photovoltaics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koida, Takashi

2017-01-01

We reported solar cells with reduced electrical and optical losses using hydrogen-doped In_2O_3 (In_2O_3:H) transparent conducting layers with low sheet resistance and high transparence characteristics. The transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films were prepared by solid-phase crystallization of amorphous (a-) In_2O_3:H films grown by magnetron sputtering. The polycrystalline (poly-) In_2O_3:H films exhibited electron mobilities (over 100 cm"2V"-"1 s"-"1) 2 and 3 times greater than those of conventional TCO films. This paper describes (i) the current status of the electrical properties of In_2O_3-based TCO; (ii) the structural and optoelectrical properties of the a-In_2O_3:H and poly-In_2O_3:H films, focusing on the inhomogeneity and stability characteristics of the films; and (iii) the electrical properties of bilayer TCO. The potential of these high mobility TCO films for solar cells was also described. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Large scale, highly conductive and patterned transparent films of silver nanowires on arbitrary substrates and their application in touch screens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madaria, Anuj R; Kumar, Akshay; Zhou Chongwu

2011-01-01

The application of silver nanowire films as transparent conductive electrodes has shown promising results recently. In this paper, we demonstrate the application of a simple spray coating technique to obtain large scale, highly uniform and conductive silver nanowire films on arbitrary substrates. We also integrated a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-assisted contact transfer technique with spray coating, which allowed us to obtain large scale high quality patterned films of silver nanowires. The transparency and conductivity of the films was controlled by the volume of the dispersion used in spraying and the substrate area. We note that the optoelectrical property, σ DC /σ Op , for various films fabricated was in the range 75-350, which is extremely high for transparent thin film compared to other candidate alternatives to doped metal oxide film. Using this method, we obtain silver nanowire films on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate with a transparency of 85% and sheet resistance of 33 Ω/sq, which is comparable to that of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) on flexible substrates. In-depth analysis of the film shows a high performance using another commonly used figure-of-merit, Φ TE . Also, Ag nanowire film/PET shows good mechanical flexibility and the application of such a conductive silver nanowire film as an electrode in a touch panel has been demonstrated.

Large scale, highly conductive and patterned transparent films of silver nanowires on arbitrary substrates and their application in touch screens.

Science.gov (United States)

Madaria, Anuj R; Kumar, Akshay; Zhou, Chongwu

2011-06-17

The application of silver nanowire films as transparent conductive electrodes has shown promising results recently. In this paper, we demonstrate the application of a simple spray coating technique to obtain large scale, highly uniform and conductive silver nanowire films on arbitrary substrates. We also integrated a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-assisted contact transfer technique with spray coating, which allowed us to obtain large scale high quality patterned films of silver nanowires. The transparency and conductivity of the films was controlled by the volume of the dispersion used in spraying and the substrate area. We note that the optoelectrical property, σ(DC)/σ(Op), for various films fabricated was in the range 75-350, which is extremely high for transparent thin film compared to other candidate alternatives to doped metal oxide film. Using this method, we obtain silver nanowire films on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate with a transparency of 85% and sheet resistance of 33 Ω/sq, which is comparable to that of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) on flexible substrates. In-depth analysis of the film shows a high performance using another commonly used figure-of-merit, Φ(TE). Also, Ag nanowire film/PET shows good mechanical flexibility and the application of such a conductive silver nanowire film as an electrode in a touch panel has been demonstrated.

Electrical stability of Al-doped ZnO transparent electrode prepared by sol-gel method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tabassum, Samia; Yamasue, Eiji; Okumura, Hideyuki; Ishihara, Keiichi N.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO thin film was deposited by sol-gel method in different annealing temperature and duration. • We examined the environmental stability in ambient and damp heat condition. • We investigated chemical state of thin film. • Better stability was observed in the film annealed at high temperature (600 °C) along with longer duration (120 min). • An ultrathin aluminum oxide layer formation was predicted by XPS measurement which protects further oxidation and improves stability. - Abstract: Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been considered as a promising alternative to tin doped indium oxide (ITO), which is currently used in various optoelectronic applications. However, the environmental stability of AZO film is not satisfactory, in that the resistivity is significantly increases in air. Here, we investigate the resistivity stability of AZO thin films prepared by sol-gel method using various annealing temperatures and durations. The degradation of resistivity property was observed for AZO films stored in ambient or damp heat environment, where the degradation rate was influenced by annealing temperature. A significant improvement of electrical stability was attained in AZO films that were prepared at high annealing temperature. The films, which showed the highest and the lowest increasing rate of resistivity, were further characterized in detail to shed light on the possible mechanisms explaining the improved stability through crystallinity, surface morphology and elemental state of the thin film.

Electrical stability of Al-doped ZnO transparent electrode prepared by sol-gel method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tabassum, Samia, E-mail: shawon14@gmail.com; Yamasue, Eiji; Okumura, Hideyuki; Ishihara, Keiichi N.

2016-07-30

Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO thin film was deposited by sol-gel method in different annealing temperature and duration. • We examined the environmental stability in ambient and damp heat condition. • We investigated chemical state of thin film. • Better stability was observed in the film annealed at high temperature (600 °C) along with longer duration (120 min). • An ultrathin aluminum oxide layer formation was predicted by XPS measurement which protects further oxidation and improves stability. - Abstract: Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been considered as a promising alternative to tin doped indium oxide (ITO), which is currently used in various optoelectronic applications. However, the environmental stability of AZO film is not satisfactory, in that the resistivity is significantly increases in air. Here, we investigate the resistivity stability of AZO thin films prepared by sol-gel method using various annealing temperatures and durations. The degradation of resistivity property was observed for AZO films stored in ambient or damp heat environment, where the degradation rate was influenced by annealing temperature. A significant improvement of electrical stability was attained in AZO films that were prepared at high annealing temperature. The films, which showed the highest and the lowest increasing rate of resistivity, were further characterized in detail to shed light on the possible mechanisms explaining the improved stability through crystallinity, surface morphology and elemental state of the thin film.

Fabrication of textured SnO2 transparent conductive films using self-assembled Sn nanospheres

Science.gov (United States)

Fukumoto, Michitaka; Nakao, Shoichiro; Hirose, Yasushi; Hasegawa, Tetsuya

2018-06-01

We present a novel method to fabricate textured surfaces on transparent conductive SnO2 films by processing substrates through a bottom-up technique with potential for industrially scalable production. The substrate processing consists of three steps: deposition of precursor Sn films on glass substrates, formation of a self-assembled Sn nanosphere layer with reductive annealing, and conversion of Sn to SnO2 by oxidative annealing. Ta-doped SnO2 films conformally deposited on the self-assembled nanospherical SnO2 templates exhibited attractive optical and electrical properties, namely, enhanced haze values and low sheet resistances, for applications as transparent electrodes in photovoltaics.

All ITO-based transparent resistive switching random access memory using oxygen doping method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hee-Dong; Yun, Min Ju; Kim, Sungho

2015-01-01

Recently, transparent memory would be useful in invisible electronics. In this work, for the first time we present a feasibility of stable unipolar resistive switching (RS) characteristics with reset current of sub-micron ampere for the fully transparent ITO/oxygen-doped ITO/ITO memory capacitors, i.e., all ITO structures, produced by sputtering method, which shows a high optical transmittance of approximately 80% in the visible region as well as near ultra-violet region. In addition, in a RS test to evaluate a reliability for the proposed memory devices, we observed a stable endurance of >100 cycles and a retention time of >10 4  s at 85 °C, with a current ratio of ∼10 2 to ∼10 3 . This result indicates that this transparent memory by engineering the amount of oxygen ions within the ITO films could be a milestone for future see-through electronic devices. - Highlights: • The resistive switching characteristics of the transparent ITO/O-doped ITO/ITO RRAM cells have investigated. • All ITO-based RRAM cell is achieved using oxygen doping method. • Good endurance and long retention time were observed.

Three-dimensionally embedded indium tin oxide (ITO) films in photosensitive glass: a transparent and conductive platform for microdevices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beke, S.; Sugioka, K.; Midorikawa, K.; Koroesi, L.; Dekany, I.

2011-01-01

A new method for embedding transparent and conductive two- and three-dimensional microstructures in glass is presented. We show that the internal surface of hollow structures fabricated by femtosecond-laser direct writing inside the photosensitive glass can be coated by indium tin oxide (Sn-doped In 2 O 3 , ITO) using a sol-gel process. The idea of combining two transparent materials with different electrical properties, i.e., insulating and conductive, is very promising and hence it opens new prospects in manufacturing cutting edge microdevices, such as lab-on-a-chips (LOCs) and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). (orig.)

Transparent conducting zinc oxide thin film prepared by off-axis rf ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Highly conducting and transparent ZnO : Al thin films were grown by off-axis rf magnetron sputtering on amorphous silica substrates without any post-deposition annealing. The electrical and optical properties of the films deposited at various substrate temperatures and target to substrate distances were investigated in detail ...

Microstructures and luminescent properties of Ce-doped transparent mica glass-ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taruta, Seiichi; Iwasaki, Yoshitomo; Nishikiori, Hiromasa; Yamakami, Tomohiko; Yamaguchi, Tomohiro; Kitajima, Kunio; Okada, Kiyoshi

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Ce-doped transparent glass-ceramics and their parent glasses. ► TEM and STEM images for the microstructures. ► Each mica crystal did not contain Ce uniformly. ► Emission due to Ce 3+ ions in the glass phase and/or Ce 3+ ions in the mica crystals. - Abstract: Transparent mica glass-ceramics were prepared by heating parent glasses that had been doped with 0.5–15 mol% CeO 2 . During the melting and heat treatment, Ce 4+ ions in the specimens were reduced to Ce 3+ ions, and one or both of these ion species were then replaced with Li + ions in the interlayers of the separated mica crystals. However, scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) and Z-contrast imaging revealed that the mica crystals did not contain the same amount of Ce. On excitation at 254 nm, the parent glasses and glass-ceramics emitted blue light, which originated from the 5d to 4f transition of the Ce 3+ ions. The emission of the glass-ceramic containing a smaller amount of Ce was attributed to the Ce 3+ ions in both the glass phase and the mica crystals, whereas that of the glass-ceramics containing a larger amount of Ce was caused mainly by Ce 3+ ions in the mica crystals. The dependence of the emission band of the parent glasses on the amount of Ce was a unique feature of the Ce-doped transparent mica glass-ceramics and was not observed in previous studies of Eu-doped parent glasses and mica glass-ceramics.

Fabrication and spectroscopic properties of Co:MgAl2O4 transparent ceramics by the HIP post-treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Wei; Ma, Peng; Xie, Tengfei; Dai, Jiawei; Pan, Yubai; Kou, Huamin; Li, Jiang

2017-07-01

Cobalt-doped magnesium aluminate spinel (Co:MgAl2O4) is one of the most important saturable absorbers for the passive Q-switching of solid-state lasers operating at eye-safe wavelength of 1.5 μm. In this work, highly transparent Co:MgAl2O4 ceramics were fabricated by vacuum sintering combined with hot isostatic pressing (HIP) post-treatment, using the mixture of the commercial spinel and the lab-made Co:MgAl2O4 powder as the raw materials. The densification mechanism of Co:MgAl2O4 transparent ceramics was discussed. The microstructure and optical properties of the samples were investigated. The ground state absorption cross section (σGSA) was calculated from the fitted curve of the absorption coefficient spectrum. The results show that Co:MgAl2O4 ceramics fabricated by vacuum sintering at 1500 °C for 5 h and then HIP post-treatment at 1650 °C for 3 h perform good transparency, whose in-line transmittance exceeds 80% at 2500 nm. Moreover, the ground state absorption cross section of 0.02 at.% Co:MgAl2O4 ceramics is calculated to be 3.35 × 10-19 cm2 at the wavelength of 1540 nm, which is promising for the application to the passive Q-switching of solid-state laser operating in the near infrared region (NIR).

The study of electronic structures and optical properties of Al-doped GaN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Enling; Hou Liping; Liu Mancang; Xi Meng; Wang Xiqiang; Dai Yuanbin; Li Lisha

2011-01-01

The electronic structures and optical properties of undoped and Al-doped GaN (Al x Ga 1-x N, x=0.0625, 0.125, 0.25) have been studied based on generalized gradient approximation (GGA) method of density functional theory (DFT). The differences of the electronic structures and optical properties of undoped and Al-doped GaN have been discussed in detail. The result shows: according to total density of state of undoped and Al-doped GaN, the conduction band becomes width and moves to high energy level with gradual increase concentration of Al impurity. Impurity energy band isn't found in energy band structures of Al x Ga 1-x N, the same as energy band structures of undoped GaN, but the band gaps gradually become wide with increase of Al impurity. Absorption spectra of undoped and Al-doped GaN of main absorption peak moves to high energy level with increase of Al impurity.

Influence of Al concentration and annealing temperature on structural, optical, and electrical properties of Al co-doped ZnO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gürbüz, Osman; Kurt, İsmail; Çalışkan, Serkan; Güner, Sadık

2015-01-01

concentration and worse crystal quality for as-grown AZO films. T% decreases until 34.5% for as-grown Al 15.62 ZnO film. T% increases by increasing annealing temperature. AZO samples annealed at 500 °C have around 80% transparencies in the visible range of spectrum. Optical energy band gap values range between 3.17 eV and 3.60 eV for as-grown and annealed samples. Band gap increments are attributed to increasing free electron concentration depending on doped Al ratio known as Burstein–Moss effect. Annealing process increases the band gap values, too. The electrical conductivity and carrier concentration of the films increased with increasing Al content. The mobility decreases due to increase in Al concentration that deteriorates the crystal nature. Annealing process especially at 400 °C enables the AZO samples to exhibit best electric conductivity due to long range crystal structured nature and increasing free electron concentration in the films. The maximum electrical conductivity value of 1.06 × 10 4 (Ωcm) −1 was measured from Al 12.30 ZnO sample annealed at 400 °C

Rare-earth doped transparent ceramics for spectral filtering and quantum information processing

Science.gov (United States)

Kunkel, Nathalie; Ferrier, Alban; Thiel, Charles W.; Ramírez, Mariola O.; Bausá, Luisa E.; Cone, Rufus L.; Ikesue, Akio; Goldner, Philippe

2015-09-01

Homogeneous linewidths below 10 kHz are reported for the first time in high-quality Eu3+ doped Y 2O3 transparent ceramics. This result is obtained on the 7F0→5D0 transition in Eu3+ doped Y 2O3 ceramics and corresponds to an improvement of nearly one order of magnitude compared to previously reported values in transparent ceramics. Furthermore, we observed spectral hole lifetimes of ˜15 min that are long enough to enable efficient optical pumping of the nuclear hyperfine levels. Additionally, different Eu3+ concentrations (up to 1.0%) were studied, resulting in an increase of up to a factor of three in the peak absorption coefficient. These results suggest that transparent ceramics can be useful in applications where narrow and deep spectral holes can be burned into highly absorbing lines, such as quantum information processing and spectral filtering.

A computational study on the electronic and field emission properties of Mg and Si doped AlN nanocones

Science.gov (United States)

Saedi, Leila; Soleymanabadi, Hamed; Panahyab, Ataollah

2018-05-01

Following an experimental work, we explored the effect of replacing an Al atom of an AlN nanocone by Si or Mg atom on its electronic and field emission properties using density functional theory calculations. We found that both Si-doping and Mg-doping increase the electrical conductivity of AlN nanocone, but their influences on the filed emission properties are significantly different. The Si-doping increases the electron concentration of AlN nanocone and results in a large electron mobility and a low work function, whereas Mg-doping leads to a high hole concentration below the conduction level and increases the work function in agreement with the experimental results. It is predicted that Si-doped AlN nanocones show excellent filed emission performance with higher emitted electron current density compared to the pristine AlN nanocone. But the Mg-doping meaningfully decreases the emitted electron current density from the surface of AlN nanocone. The Mg-doping can increase the work function about 41.9% and the Si-doping can decrease it about 6.3%. The Mg-doping and Si-doping convert the AlN nanocone to a p-type and n-type semiconductors, respectively. Our results explain in a molecular level what observed in the experiment.

Al-doped MgB_2 materials studied using electron paramagnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bateni, Ali; Somer, Mehmet; Erdem, Emre; Repp, Sergej; Weber, Stefan

2016-01-01

Undoped and aluminum (Al) doped magnesium diboride (MgB_2) samples were synthesized using a high-temperature solid-state synthesis method. The microscopic defect structures of Al-doped MgB_2 samples were systematically investigated using X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance. It was found that Mg-vacancies are responsible for defect-induced peculiarities in MgB_2. Above a certain level of Al doping, enhanced conductive properties of MgB_2 disappear due to filling of vacancies or trapping of Al in Mg-related vacancy sites.

Functional doped metal oxide films. Zinc oxide (ZnO) as transparent conducting oxide (TCO) titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) as thermographic phosphor and protective coating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nebatti Ech-Chergui, Abdelkader

2011-07-29

Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) was used in the present work. Un-doped and Al-doped ZnO films were developed using two reactors: Halogen Lamp Reactor (HLR) (a type of Cold Wall Reactor) and Hot Wall Reactor (HWR), and a comparison was made between them in terms of the film properties. Zinc acetylacetonate was used as precursor for ZnO films while aluminum acetylacetonate was used for doping. The amount of Al doping can be controlled by varying the gas flow rate. Well ordered films with aluminum content between 0 and 8 % were grown on borosilicate glass and silicon. The films obtained are 0.3 to 0.5 {mu}m thick, highly transparent and reproducible. The growth rate of ZnO films deposited using HLR is less than HWR. In HLR, the ZnO films are well oriented along c-axis ((002) plane). ZnO films are commonly oriented along the c-axis due to its low surface free energy. On the other hand, the HWR films are polycrystalline and with Al doping these films aligned along the a-axis ((100) plane) which is less commonly observed. The best films were obtained with the HLR method showing a minimum electrical resistivity of 2.4 m{omega}cm and transmittance of about 80 % in the visible range. The results obtained for Al-doped films using HLR are promising to be used as TCOs. The second material investigated in this work was un-doped and doped titanium dioxide (TiO{sub 2}) films- its preparation and characterization. It is well known that thermographic phosphors can be used as an optical method for the surface temperature measurement. For this application, the temperature-dependent luminescence properties of europium (III)-doped TiO{sub 2} thin films were studied. It was observed that only europium doped anatase films show the phosphorescence. Rutile phase do not show phosphorescence. The films were prepared by the sol-gel method using the dip coating technique. The structures of the films were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The excitation and the emission

Rare-earth doped transparent ceramics for spectral filtering and quantum information processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kunkel, Nathalie, E-mail: nathalie.kunkel@chimie-paristech.fr; Goldner, Philippe, E-mail: philippe.goldner@chimie-paristech.fr [PSL Research University, Chimie ParisTech–CNRS, Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris, 11 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France); Ferrier, Alban [PSL Research University, Chimie ParisTech–CNRS, Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris, 11 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France); Sorbonnes Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, 75005 Paris (France); Thiel, Charles W.; Cone, Rufus L. [Department of Physics, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717 (United States); Ramírez, Mariola O.; Bausá, Luisa E. [Departamento Física de Materiales and Instituto Nicolás Cabrera, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Ikesue, Akio [World Laboratory, Mutsuno, Atsuta-ku, Nagoya 456-0023 (Japan)

2015-09-01

Homogeneous linewidths below 10 kHz are reported for the first time in high-quality Eu{sup 3+} doped Y {sub 2}O{sub 3} transparent ceramics. This result is obtained on the {sup 7}F{sub 0}→{sup 5}D{sub 0} transition in Eu{sup 3+} doped Y {sub 2}O{sub 3} ceramics and corresponds to an improvement of nearly one order of magnitude compared to previously reported values in transparent ceramics. Furthermore, we observed spectral hole lifetimes of ∼15 min that are long enough to enable efficient optical pumping of the nuclear hyperfine levels. Additionally, different Eu{sup 3+} concentrations (up to 1.0%) were studied, resulting in an increase of up to a factor of three in the peak absorption coefficient. These results suggest that transparent ceramics can be useful in applications where narrow and deep spectral holes can be burned into highly absorbing lines, such as quantum information processing and spectral filtering.

Printable Transparent Conductive Films for Flexible Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Dongdong; Lai, Wen-Yong; Zhang, Yi-Zhou; Huang, Wei

2018-03-01

Printed electronics are an important enabling technology for the development of low-cost, large-area, and flexible optoelectronic devices. Transparent conductive films (TCFs) made from solution-processable transparent conductive materials, such as metal nanoparticles/nanowires, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and conductive polymers, can simultaneously exhibit high mechanical flexibility, low cost, and better photoelectric properties compared to the commonly used sputtered indium-tin-oxide-based TCFs, and are thus receiving great attention. This Review summarizes recent advances of large-area flexible TCFs enabled by several roll-to-roll-compatible printed techniques including inkjet printing, screen printing, offset printing, and gravure printing using the emerging transparent conductive materials. The preparation of TCFs including ink formulation, substrate treatment, patterning, and postprocessing, and their potential applications in solar cells, organic light-emitting diodes, and touch panels are discussed in detail. The rational combination of a variety of printed techniques with emerging transparent conductive materials is believed to extend the opportunities for the development of printed electronics within the realm of flexible electronics and beyond. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Fabrication of Al doped ZnO films using atmospheric pressure cold plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzaki, Yoshifumi; Miyagawa, Hayato; Yamaguchi, Kenzo; Kim, Yoon-Kee

2012-01-01

Under atmospheric pressure, homogeneous non-equilibrium cold plasma was generated stably by high voltage pulsed power (1 kV, 20 kHz, 38 W) excitation of a mixture of He and O 2 gases produced by a dielectric barrier discharge setup. By feeding Bis (2 methoxy‐6-methyl‐3, 5-heptanedione) Zn (Zn-MOPD, C 18 H 3 O 6 Zn) and Tris (2-methoxy‐6‐methy l‐3, 5-heptanedione) Al (Al-MOPD, C 27 H 45 O 9 Al) into this plasma with He carrier gas, transparent flat Al-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al) films about 120–240 nm thick were prepared on glass substrates directly under the slit made into the cathode. Deposition rates of the films were about 20–40 nm/min. The concentration of Al was measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. The composition ratio of Al to Zn was 7.8 mol% when the carrier He gas flow rate of Al-MOPD was 30 cm 3 . The average transmittance of all films was more than 85% in the wavelength range from 400 to 800 nm. When the composition ratio of Al/Zn was between 1.1 and 7.8 mol%, the optical band gap of the film increased from 3.28 to 3.40 eV. The resistivity of ZnO:Al film was 2.96 Ω cm at 1.3 mol% of Al/Zn. In addition, the microstructure of the films was studied by X-ray diffraction measurement and field emission scanning electron microscope observation. It was revealed that doped Al is substituted onto the Zn site of the ZnO crystalline structure in ZnO:Al films. - Highlights: ► An atmospheric pressure cold plasma generator generated stable glow discharge. ► We fabricated Al doped ZnO films on glass substrates using cold plasma. ► Al concentration measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. ► The transmission spectrum and the resistivity of the films were measured. ► The microstructure of the films was studied.

Influence of Al grain boundaries segregations and La-doping on embrittlement of intermetallic NiAl

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kovalev, Anatoly I., E-mail: a_kovalev@sprg.ru; Wainstein, Dmitry L.; Rashkovskiy, Alexander Yu.

2015-11-01

Highlights: • We investigated Al grain boundaries segregations in ordered pure and La-doped NiAl. • Structural segregation of Al decreases critical strain for brittle cracks nucleation. • La alloying sharply improves plasticity of NiAl intermetallic. • Metallicity of interatomic bonds on grain boundaries increases at La alloying. • We have experimentally measured by EELFS that La atoms are located in Al sublattice. - Abstract: The microscopic nature of intergranular fracture of NiAl was experimentally investigated by the set of electron spectroscopy techniques. The paper demonstrates that embrittlement of NiAl intermetallic compound is caused by ordering of atomic structure that leads to formation of structural aluminum segregations at grain boundaries (GB). Such segregations contain high number of brittle covalent interatomic bonds. The alloying by La increases the ductility of material avoiding Al GB enrichment and disordering GB atomic structure. The influence of La alloying on NiAl mechanical properties was investigated. GB chemical composition, atomic and electronic structure transformations after La doping were investigated by AES, XPS and EELFS techniques. To qualify the interatomic bonds metallicity the Fermi level (E{sub F}) position and electrons density (n{sub eff}) in conduction band were determined in both undoped and doped NiAl. Basing on experimental results the physical model of GB brittleness formation was proposed.

Effect of deposition temperature on the properties of Al-doped ZnO films prepared by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering for transparent electrodes in thin-film solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Doo-Soo; Park, Ji-Hyeon; Shin, Beom-Ki; Moon, Kyeong-Ju; Son, Myoungwoo; Ham, Moon-Ho; Lee, Woong; Myoung, Jae-Min

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Surface-textured AZO films were achieved by combining PDMS method with wet etching. ► The AZO film deposited at 230 °C by PDMS exhibited the best performance. ► It is due to the higher plasma density supplied from PDMS system. ► Wet etching of the films produces a crater-like rough surface morphology. - Abstract: A simple but scalable approach to the production of surface-textured Al-doped ZnO(AZO) films for low-cost transparent electrode applications in thin-film solar cells is introduced in this study by combining pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (PDMS) with wet etching in sequence. First, structural, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO films prepared by a PDMS were investigated as functions of deposition temperature to obtain transparent electrode films that can be used as indium-free alternative to ITO electrodes. Increase in the deposition temperature to 230 °C accompanied the improvement in crystalline quality and doping efficiency, which enabled the lowest electrical resistivity of 4.16 × 10 −4 Ω cm with the carrier concentration of 1.65 × 10 21 cm −3 and Hall mobility of 11.3 cm 2 /V s. The wet etching of the films in a diluted HCl solution resulted in surface roughening via the formation of crater-like structures without significant degradation in the electrical properties, which is responsible for the enhanced light scattering capability required for anti-reflective electrodes in thin film solar cells.

Textured surface boron-doped ZnO transparent conductive oxides on polyethylene terephthalate substrates for Si-based thin film solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Xinliang; Lin Quan; Ni Jian; Zhang Dekun; Sun Jian; Zhao Ying; Geng Xinhua

2011-01-01

Textured surface boron-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:B) thin films were directly grown via low pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) flexible substrates at low temperatures and high-efficiency flexible polymer silicon (Si) based thin film solar cells were obtained. High purity diethylzinc and water vapors were used as source materials, and diborane was used as an n-type dopant gas. P-i-n silicon layers were fabricated at ∼ 398 K by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. These textured surface ZnO:B thin films on PET substrates (PET/ZnO:B) exhibit rough pyramid-like morphology with high transparencies (T ∼ 80%) and excellent electrical properties (Rs ∼ 10 Ω at d ∼ 1500 nm). Finally, the PET/ZnO:B thin films were applied in flexible p-i-n type silicon thin film solar cells (device structure: PET/ZnO:B/p-i-n a-Si:H/Al) with a high conversion efficiency of 6.32% (short-circuit current density J SC = 10.62 mA/cm 2 , open-circuit voltage V OC = 0.93 V and fill factor = 64%).

Conductivity of A- and B-site doped LaAlO3, LaGaO3, LaScO3 and LaInO3 perovskites

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lybye, D.; Poulsen, F.W.; Mogensen, Mogens Bjerg

2000-01-01

The conductivity of the materials LaAlO3, LaGaO3, LaScO3 and LaInO3 all doped with 10% strontium on the A-site and 10% magnesium at the B-site has been measured at different temperatures and oxygen partial pressures. The doped LaGaO3 is found to be an almost pure ionic conductor with a conductivi...

An anode with aluminum doped on zinc oxide thin films for organic light emitting devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Denghui; Deng Zhenbo; Xu Ying; Xiao Jing; Liang Chunjun; Pei Zhiliang; Sun Chao

2005-01-01

Doped zinc oxides are attractive alternative materials as transparent conducting electrode because they are nontoxic and inexpensive compared with indium tin oxide (ITO). Transparent conducting aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by DC reactive magnetron sputtering method. Films were deposited at a substrate temperature of 150-bar o C in 0.03 Pa of oxygen pressure. The electrical and optical properties of the film with the Al-doping amount of 2 wt% in the target were investigated. For the 300-nm thick AZO film deposited using a ZnO target with an Al content of 2 wt%, the lowest electrical resistivity was 4x10 -4 Ωcm and the average transmission in the visible range 400-700 nm was more than 90%. The AZO film was used as an anode contact to fabricate organic light-emitting diodes. The device performance was measured and the current efficiency of 2.9 cd/A was measured at a current density of 100 mA/cm 2

Al-doped MgB{sub 2} materials studied using electron paramagnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bateni, Ali; Somer, Mehmet, E-mail: emre.erdem@physchem.uni-freiburg.de, E-mail: msomer@ku.edu.tr [Department of Chemistry, Koç University, Rumelifeneri Yolu, Sariyer, Istanbul (Turkey); Erdem, Emre, E-mail: emre.erdem@physchem.uni-freiburg.de, E-mail: msomer@ku.edu.tr; Repp, Sergej [Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, Freiburg (Germany); Weber, Stefan [Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 21, Freiburg (Germany); Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS), Universität Freiburg, Albertstr. 19, Freiburg (Germany)

2016-05-16

Undoped and aluminum (Al) doped magnesium diboride (MgB{sub 2}) samples were synthesized using a high-temperature solid-state synthesis method. The microscopic defect structures of Al-doped MgB{sub 2} samples were systematically investigated using X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance. It was found that Mg-vacancies are responsible for defect-induced peculiarities in MgB{sub 2}. Above a certain level of Al doping, enhanced conductive properties of MgB{sub 2} disappear due to filling of vacancies or trapping of Al in Mg-related vacancy sites.

Microstructure and characterization of Al-doped ZnO films prepared by RF power sputtering on Al and ZnO targets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tseng, Chun-An [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan (China); Lin, Jing-Chie, E-mail: jclincom@cc.ncu.edu.tw [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan (China); Institute of Material Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan (China); Chang, Yu-Fong [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan (China); Chyou, San-Der [Power Research Institute, Taiwan Power Company, Taiwan (China); Peng, Kun-Cheng [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Mingchi University of Technology, Taiwan (China)

2012-06-01

Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) transparent conductive films were prepared on a glass substrate using a magnetron sputtering system with a pure zinc oxide (ZnO) target and a pure Al target sputtered using radio frequency (RF) power. The RF power was set at 100 W for the ZnO target and varied from 20 to 150 W for the Al target. The morphology of the thin films was examined by field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and their composition was analyzed by the equipped energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The cross section of the films determined through FE-SEM indicated that their thickness was around 650 nm. EDS analysis revealed that the Al-dopant concentration of the AZO films increased in the following order: 0.85 at.% (20 W) < 1.60 at.% (40 W) < 3.52 at.% (100 W) < 4.34 at.% (150 W). Analysis of the films using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) indicated that all films had a wurtzite structure with a texture of (0 0 2). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed a number of defects in the films, such as stacking faults and dislocations. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) was used to estimate the optical energy gap (E{sub g}) for the AZO thin films. The energy gap increases from 3.39 to 3.58 eV as the RF power applied to the Al target increase. The electrical resistivity of the films decreased from 3.43 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -2} {Omega} cm to 3.29 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} {Omega} cm as the RF power increased from 20 to 150 W when a four-point probe was used to investigate. Atomic force microscope (AFM) revealed that the surface roughness of the films increased with increasing RF power. The average optical transmittance of the films was determined by UV-visible spectrometer. The films are suitable for use as transparent conductive oxide films in the optoelectronic industry. A decrease in the electrical resistivity of the film with increasing Al-dopant concentration was ascribed to an increase in the carrier

Transparent field-effect transistors based on AlN-gate dielectric and IGZO-channel semiconductor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Besleaga, C.; Stan, G.E.; Pintilie, I.; Barquinha, P.; Fortunato, E.; Martins, R.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • TFTs based on IGZO channel semiconductor and AlN gate dielectric were fabricated. • AlN films – a viable and cheap gate dielectric alternative for transparent TFTs. • Influence of gate dielectric layer thickness on TFTs electrical characteristics. • No degradation of AlN gate dielectric was observed during devices stress testing. - Abstract: The degradation of thin-film transistors (TFTs) caused by the self-heating effect constitutes a problem to be solved for the next generation of displays. Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a viable alternative for gate dielectric of TFTs due to its good thermal conductivity, matching coefficient of thermal expansion to indium–gallium–zinc-oxide, and excellent stability at high temperatures. Here, AlN thin films of different thicknesses were fabricated by a low temperature reactive radio-frequency magnetron sputtering process, using a low cost, metallic Al target. Their electrical properties have been thoroughly assessed. Furthermore, the 200 nm and 500 nm thick AlN layers have been integrated as gate-dielectric in transparent TFTs with indium–gallium–zinc-oxide as channel semiconductor. Our study emphasizes the potential of AlN thin films for transparent electronics, whilst the functionality of the fabricated field-effect transistors is explored and discussed.

Transparent field-effect transistors based on AlN-gate dielectric and IGZO-channel semiconductor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Besleaga, C.; Stan, G.E.; Pintilie, I. [National Institute of Materials Physics, 405A Atomistilor, 077125 Magurele-Ilfov (Romania); Barquinha, P.; Fortunato, E. [CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Martins, R., E-mail: rm@uninova.pt [CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal)

2016-08-30

Highlights: • TFTs based on IGZO channel semiconductor and AlN gate dielectric were fabricated. • AlN films – a viable and cheap gate dielectric alternative for transparent TFTs. • Influence of gate dielectric layer thickness on TFTs electrical characteristics. • No degradation of AlN gate dielectric was observed during devices stress testing. - Abstract: The degradation of thin-film transistors (TFTs) caused by the self-heating effect constitutes a problem to be solved for the next generation of displays. Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a viable alternative for gate dielectric of TFTs due to its good thermal conductivity, matching coefficient of thermal expansion to indium–gallium–zinc-oxide, and excellent stability at high temperatures. Here, AlN thin films of different thicknesses were fabricated by a low temperature reactive radio-frequency magnetron sputtering process, using a low cost, metallic Al target. Their electrical properties have been thoroughly assessed. Furthermore, the 200 nm and 500 nm thick AlN layers have been integrated as gate-dielectric in transparent TFTs with indium–gallium–zinc-oxide as channel semiconductor. Our study emphasizes the potential of AlN thin films for transparent electronics, whilst the functionality of the fabricated field-effect transistors is explored and discussed.

Conductivity in transparent oxide semiconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

King, P D C; Veal, T D

2011-08-24

Despite an extensive research effort for over 60 years, an understanding of the origins of conductivity in wide band gap transparent conducting oxide (TCO) semiconductors remains elusive. While TCOs have already found widespread use in device applications requiring a transparent contact, there are currently enormous efforts to (i) increase the conductivity of existing materials, (ii) identify suitable alternatives, and (iii) attempt to gain semiconductor-engineering levels of control over their carrier density, essential for the incorporation of TCOs into a new generation of multifunctional transparent electronic devices. These efforts, however, are dependent on a microscopic identification of the defects and impurities leading to the high unintentional carrier densities present in these materials. Here, we review recent developments towards such an understanding. While oxygen vacancies are commonly assumed to be the source of the conductivity, there is increasing evidence that this is not a sufficient mechanism to explain the total measured carrier concentrations. In fact, many studies suggest that oxygen vacancies are deep, rather than shallow, donors, and their abundance in as-grown material is also debated. We discuss other potential contributions to the conductivity in TCOs, including other native defects, their complexes, and in particular hydrogen impurities. Convincing theoretical and experimental evidence is presented for the donor nature of hydrogen across a range of TCO materials, and while its stability and the role of interstitial versus substitutional species are still somewhat open questions, it is one of the leading contenders for yielding unintentional conductivity in TCOs. We also review recent work indicating that the surfaces of TCOs can support very high carrier densities, opposite to the case for conventional semiconductors. In thin-film materials/devices and, in particular, nanostructures, the surface can have a large impact on the total

Influence of Al grain boundaries segregations and La-doping on embrittlement of intermetallic NiAl

Science.gov (United States)

Kovalev, Anatoly I.; Wainstein, Dmitry L.; Rashkovskiy, Alexander Yu.

2015-11-01

The microscopic nature of intergranular fracture of NiAl was experimentally investigated by the set of electron spectroscopy techniques. The paper demonstrates that embrittlement of NiAl intermetallic compound is caused by ordering of atomic structure that leads to formation of structural aluminum segregations at grain boundaries (GB). Such segregations contain high number of brittle covalent interatomic bonds. The alloying by La increases the ductility of material avoiding Al GB enrichment and disordering GB atomic structure. The influence of La alloying on NiAl mechanical properties was investigated. GB chemical composition, atomic and electronic structure transformations after La doping were investigated by AES, XPS and EELFS techniques. To qualify the interatomic bonds metallicity the Fermi level (EF) position and electrons density (neff) in conduction band were determined in both undoped and doped NiAl. Basing on experimental results the physical model of GB brittleness formation was proposed.

Positron Annihilation Lifetime Study of Pure and Doped Polyvinyl Chloride with Al2O3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Hady, E.E.; Hamdy, F. M. M.; Alaa, H.B.

2005-01-01

Positron annihilation lifetime of pure and doped polyvinyl chloride (PVC) with Al 2 O 3 reflect the effect of concentration as well as temperature on free volume. Therefore, variations of the ortho-positronium (o-Ps) lifetime and its intensity have been correlated with changes in the dielectric properties of the pure and doped PVC. The o-Ps lifetime and its intensity show a linear dependence with a discontinuity at 20 % concentration of Al 2 O 3 . The size and the fractional of the o-Ps hole volume were estimated from the positron annihilation parameters. Therefore, the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity and the positron annihilation parameters on pure and doped PVC with 20 % Al 2 O 3 were studied in the range from 20 to 140 degree C. The shift of the glass transition temperature to lower temperature for the 20 % Al 2 O 3 doped PVC might explain the increase in the electrical conductivity with the concentration of the additive

Enhanced thermoelectric transport in modulation-doped GaN/AlGaN core/shell nanowires.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Erdong; Li, Qiming; Swartzentruber, Brian; Pan, Wei; Wang, George T; Martinez, Julio A

2016-01-08

The thermoelectric properties of unintentionally n-doped core GaN/AlGaN core/shell N-face nanowires are reported. We found that the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity is consistent with thermally activated carriers with two distinctive donor energies. The Seebeck coefficient of GaN/AlGaN nanowires is more than twice as large as that for the GaN nanowires alone. However, an outer layer of GaN deposited onto the GaN/AlGaN core/shell nanowires decreases the Seebeck coefficient at room temperature, while the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity remains the same. We attribute these observations to the formation of an electron gas channel within the heavily-doped GaN core of the GaN/AlGaN nanowires. The room-temperature thermoelectric power factor for the GaN/AlGaN nanowires can be four times higher than the GaN nanowires. Selective doping in bandgap engineered core/shell nanowires is proposed for enhancing the thermoelectric power.

Insight about electrical properties of low-temperature solution-processed Al-doped ZnO nanoparticle based layers for TFT applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diallo, Abdou Karim; Gaceur, Meriem; Fall, Sadiara; Didane, Yahia; Ben Dkhil, Sadok; Margeat, Olivier, E-mail: margeat@cinam.univ-mrs.fr; Ackermann, Jörg; Videlot-Ackermann, Christine, E-mail: videlot@cinam.univ-mrs.fr

2016-12-15

Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO (AZO) nanoparticles. • Impact of dispersion state and solid state on electrical properties. • Extrinsic doping with Al for high conducting AZO nanoparticle based layers. • Low-temperature operating nanoparticulate AZO TFTs. - Abstract: Aluminium-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (NPs) with controlled Al doping contents (AZO{sub x} with x = 0–0.8 at% of Al) were explored as new oxide semiconductor materials to study the impact of doping on both solution and solid states. Polycrystalline AZO{sub x} thin films were produced by spin-coating the dispersions following by a thermal post-treatment at low-temperature (80 °C or 150 °C). The coated AZO{sub x} films were employed as active layer in thin-film transistors. Morphology and microstructure were studied by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The impact on the device performances (mobility, conductivity, charge carrier density) of Al-doping content together with the solution state was examined. Spin-coated films delivered an electron mobility up to 3 × 10{sup −2} cm{sup 2}/Vs for the highest Al-doping ratio AZO{sub 0.8}. Despite highly different morphologies, extrinsic doping with aluminium significantly increases the conductivity of low temperature solution-processed AZO{sub x} NPs series based layers by several orders of magnitude from AZO{sub 0} to AZO{sub 0.8}.

Induced transparencies in metamaterial waveguides doped with quantum dots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Mahi R; Brzozowski, Marek; Racknor, Chris

2015-01-01

The light-mater interaction in quantum dots doped artificial electromagnetic materials such as metamaterial waveguides has been studied. The effect of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on the absorption coefficient of quantum dots in metamaterial waveguides is investigated. The waveguides are made by sandwiching a metamaterial slab between two dielectric material layers. An ensemble of quantum dots are deposited near the waveguide interfaces. The transfer matrix method is used to calculate the SSPs in the waveguide and the density matrix method and Schrödinger equation method are used to calculate the absorption spectrum. It is found that when the thickness of the metamaterial slab is greater than the SPP wavelength the SPP energy is degenerate. However when the thickness of the slab is smaller than that of the SPP wavelength the degeneracy of SPP state splits into odd and even SPP modes due the surface mode interaction (SMI) of the waveguide. We also found that the absorption spectrum has a minima (transparent state) which is due to strong coupling between excitons in quantum dots and SPPs in the waveguide. This transparent state is called the SPP induced transparency. However when the thickness of the slab is smaller than that of the SPP wavelength one transparent state in the absorption spectrum split into two transparent states due to the surface mode interaction. This type of transparency is called the SMI induced transparency. Transparent states can be achieved by applying pulse stress field or an intense laser pulse field. Hence present findings can be used to fabricate the metamaterial optical sensors and switches. (paper)

High performance LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode by Al-coating and Al3+-doping through a physical vapor deposition method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Peng; Ma, Ying; Zhai, Tianyou; Li, Huiqiao

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Metal Al was used as an electrical conductive coating material for LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 . • The uniform surface coating layer of metal Al was successfully achieved with adjusted thickness through a physical vapor deposition technology. • Al 3+ -doped LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 can be easily obtained by further directly annealing of Al-coated LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 in air. • The conductive Al-coating layer can greatly improve the rate performance and cycle stability of LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 . - Abstract: In this work, spinel LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 (LNMO) hollow microspheres are synthesized by an impregnation method using microsphere MnO 2 as both the precursor and template. To enhance the electrical conductivity of LNMO, metal Al was employed for the first time as a coating material for LNMO. Though an Electron-beam Vapor Deposition approach, the surface of LNMO can be easily coated by a tight layer of Al nanoparticles with adjusted thickness. Further annealing the Al-coated sample at 800 °C in air, the Al 3+ -doped LNMO can be obtained. The effects of Al-coating and Al 3+ -doping on the sample morphology and structure are investigated by SEM, TEM, XRD and FT-IR. The electrochemical properties of Al-coated LNMO and Al 3+ -doped LNMO are measured with comparison of bare LNMO by charge/discharge tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results show that both Al-coating and Al 3+ -doping can greatly enhance the cycle performance and rate capability of LNMO. Especially for Al-coated LNMO, it shows the lowest battery impedance due to the existence of conductive Al coating layer, thus delivers the best rate performance among the three. The physical coating procedure used in this work may provide a new facile modification approach for other cathode materials.

Activation of visible up-conversion luminescence in transparent and conducting ZnO:Er:Yb films by laser annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lluscà, M.; López-Vidrier, J.; Lauzurica, S.; Sánchez-Aniorte, M.I.; Antony, A.; Molpeceres, C.; Hernández, S.; Garrido, B.; Bertomeu, J.

2015-01-01

Transparent and conducting ZnO:Er:Yb thin films with visible up-conversion (660-nm emission under 980-nm excitation) were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering. The as-deposited films were found to be transparent and conducting and the activation of the Er ions in these films to produce up-conversion luminescence was achieved by different post-deposition annealing treatments in air, vacuum or by laser annealing using a Nd:YVO 4 laser. The structural, electrical and optical properties and the up-conversion efficiency of these films were found to be strongly influenced by the annealing method, and a detailed study is reported in this paper. It has been demonstrated that, although the air annealing was the most efficient in terms of up-conversion, laser annealing was the only method capable of activating Er ions while preserving the electrical conductivity of the doped films. It has been shown that a minimum energy was needed in laser annealing to optically activate the rare earth ions in the ZnO host material to produce up-conversion. Up-converting and transparent conducting ZnO:Er:Yb films with an electrical resistivity of 5×10 −2 Ω cm and transparency ~80% in the visible wavelength range has been achieved by laser annealing. - Highlights: • Transparent and conducting ZnO:Er:Yb films were grown via magnetron sputtering. • Post-annealing ZnO:Er:Yb is needed to optically activate Er ions. • Visible up-conversion emission at 660 nm is observed under 980 nm excitation. • A transparent and conducting up-converter is achieved by laser annealing

Effect of doping concentration on the conductivity and optical properties of p-type ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pathak, Trilok Kumar [Semiconductor Research Lab, Department of Physics, Gurukula Kangri University, Haridwar (India); Kumar, Vinod, E-mail: vinod.phy@gmail.com [Department of Physics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein (South Africa); Swart, H.C., E-mail: swarthc@ufs.ac.za [Department of Physics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein (South Africa); Purohit, L.P., E-mail: proflppurohitphys@gmail.com [Semiconductor Research Lab, Department of Physics, Gurukula Kangri University, Haridwar (India)

2016-01-01

Nitrogen doped ZnO (NZO) thin films were synthesized on glass substrates by the sol–gel and spin coating method. Zinc acetate dihydrates and ammonium acetate were used as precursors for zinc and nitrogen, respectively. X-ray diffraction study showed that the thin films have a hexagonal wurtzite structure corresponding (002) peak for undoped and doped ZnO thin films. The transmittance of the films was above 80% and the band gap of the film varies from 3.21±0.03 eV for undoped and doped ZnO. The minimum resistivity of NZO thin films was obtained as 0.473 Ω cm for the 4 at% of nitrogen (N) doping with a mobility of 1.995 cm{sup 2}/V s. The NZO thin films showed p-type conductivity at 2 and 3 at% of N doping. The AC conductivity measurements that were carried out in the frequency range 10 kHz to 0.1 MHz showed localized conduction in the NZO thin films. These highly transparent ZnO films can be used as a possible window layer in solar cells.

Synthesis, structure, magnetic, electrical and electrochemical properties of Al, Cu and Mg doped MnO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hashem, Ahmed M., E-mail: ahmedh242@yahoo.com [National Research Centre, Inorganic Chemistry Department, Behoes St., Dokki, Cairo (Egypt); Institute for Complex Materials, IFW Dresden, Helmholtzstr. 20, D-01069 Dresden (Germany); Abuzeid, Hanaa M. [National Research Centre, Inorganic Chemistry Department, Behoes St., Dokki, Cairo (Egypt); Narayanan, N. [Institute for Complex Materials, IFW Dresden, Helmholtzstr. 20, D-01069 Dresden (Germany); Ehrenberg, Helmut [Institute for Complex Materials, IFW Dresden, Helmholtzstr. 20, D-01069 Dresden (Germany); Materials Science, Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Petersenstr. 23, D-64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Julien, C.M. [Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Physicochimie des Electrolytes, Colloides et Sciences Analytiques (PECSA), 4 place Jussieu, 75005 Paris (France)

2011-10-17

Highlights: {yields} Al, Mg and Cu doped MnO{sub 2} as cathode in Li-ion batteries. {yields} Pure phase MnO{sub 2} for virgin and doped MnO{sub 2} were obtained. {yields} Doping elements improve the electrical conductivity of MnO{sub 2}. {yields} Electrochemical behaviour of MnO{sub 2} improved after doping by Al, Mg and Cu. - Abstract: Pure and doped manganese dioxides were prepared by wet-chemical method using fumaric acid and potassium permanganate as raw materials. X-ray diffraction patterns show that pure and Al, Cu and Mg doped manganese dioxides (d-MnO{sub 2}) crystallized in the cryptomelane-MnO{sub 2} structure. Thermal analysis show that, with the assistance of potassium ions inside the 2 x 2 tunnel, the presence of Al, Cu and Mg doping elements increases the thermal stability of d-MnO{sub 2}. The electrical conductivity of d-MnO{sub 2} increases in comparison with pure MnO{sub 2}, while Al-doped MnO{sub 2} exhibits the lower resistivity. As shown in the magnetic measurements, the value of the experimental effective magnetic moment of Mn ions decreases with introduction of dopants, which is attributed to the presence of a mixed valency of high-spin state Mn{sup 4+}/Mn{sup 3+}. Doped MnO{sub 2} materials show good capacity retention in comparison with virgin MnO{sub 2}. Al-doped MnO{sub 2} shows the best electrochemical results in terms of capacity retention and recharge efficiency.

Amorphous and crystalline In{sub 2}O{sub 3}-based transparent conducting films for photovoltaics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koida, Takashi [Research Center for Photovoltaics, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba (Japan)

2017-02-15

We reported solar cells with reduced electrical and optical losses using hydrogen-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} (In{sub 2}O{sub 3}:H) transparent conducting layers with low sheet resistance and high transparence characteristics. The transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films were prepared by solid-phase crystallization of amorphous (a-) In{sub 2}O{sub 3}:H films grown by magnetron sputtering. The polycrystalline (poly-) In{sub 2}O{sub 3}:H films exhibited electron mobilities (over 100 cm{sup 2}V{sup -1} s{sup -1}) 2 and 3 times greater than those of conventional TCO films. This paper describes (i) the current status of the electrical properties of In{sub 2}O{sub 3}-based TCO; (ii) the structural and optoelectrical properties of the a-In{sub 2}O{sub 3}:H and poly-In{sub 2}O{sub 3}:H films, focusing on the inhomogeneity and stability characteristics of the films; and (iii) the electrical properties of bilayer TCO. The potential of these high mobility TCO films for solar cells was also described. (copyright 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Effect of deposition temperature on the properties of Al-doped ZnO films prepared by pulsed DC magnetron sputtering for transparent electrodes in thin-film solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Doo-Soo; Park, Ji-Hyeon; Shin, Beom-Ki; Moon, Kyeong-Ju [Information and Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Son, Myoungwoo [Department of Nanobio Materials and Electronics, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); Ham, Moon-Ho [Department of Nanobio Materials and Electronics, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Woong [School of Nano and Advanced Materials Engineering, Changwon National University, 9 Sarim-Dong, Changwon, Gyeongnam 641-773 (Korea, Republic of); Myoung, Jae-Min, E-mail: jmmyoung@yonsei.ac.kr [Information and Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

2012-10-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Surface-textured AZO films were achieved by combining PDMS method with wet etching. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The AZO film deposited at 230 Degree-Sign C by PDMS exhibited the best performance. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It is due to the higher plasma density supplied from PDMS system. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Wet etching of the films produces a crater-like rough surface morphology. - Abstract: A simple but scalable approach to the production of surface-textured Al-doped ZnO(AZO) films for low-cost transparent electrode applications in thin-film solar cells is introduced in this study by combining pulsed dc magnetron sputtering (PDMS) with wet etching in sequence. First, structural, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO films prepared by a PDMS were investigated as functions of deposition temperature to obtain transparent electrode films that can be used as indium-free alternative to ITO electrodes. Increase in the deposition temperature to 230 Degree-Sign C accompanied the improvement in crystalline quality and doping efficiency, which enabled the lowest electrical resistivity of 4.16 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} {Omega} cm with the carrier concentration of 1.65 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 21} cm{sup -3} and Hall mobility of 11.3 cm{sup 2}/V s. The wet etching of the films in a diluted HCl solution resulted in surface roughening via the formation of crater-like structures without significant degradation in the electrical properties, which is responsible for the enhanced light scattering capability required for anti-reflective electrodes in thin film solar cells.

Localized surface plasmon polariton resonance in holographically structured Al-doped ZnO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

George, David; Lowell, David; Mao, Michelle; Hassan, Safaa; Philipose, Usha [Department of Physics and Center for Advanced Research and Technology, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203 (United States); Li, Li; Jiang, Yan; Cui, Jingbiao [Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152 (United States); Ding, Jun; Zhang, Hualiang [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854 (United States); Lin, Yuankun [Department of Physics and Center for Advanced Research and Technology, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203 (United States); Department of Electrical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203 (United States)

2016-07-28

In this paper, we studied the localized surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonance in hole arrays in transparent conducting aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO). CMOS-compatible fabrication process was demonstrated for the AZO devices. The localized SPP resonance was observed and confirmed by electromagnetic simulations. Using a standing wave model, the observed SPP was dominated by the standing-wave resonance along (1,1) direction in square lattices. This research lays the groundwork for a fabrication technique that can contribute to the core technology of future integrated photonics through its extension into tunable conductive materials.

Expanding thermal plasma chemical vapour deposition of ZnO:Al layers for CIGS solar cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sharma, K.; Williams, B.L.; Mittal, A.; Knoops, H.C.M.; Kniknie, B.J.; Bakker, N.J.; Kessels, W.M.M.; Schropp, R.E.I.; Creatore, M.

2014-01-01

Aluminium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) grown by expanding thermal plasma chemical vapour deposition (ETP-CVD) has demonstrated excellent electrical and optical properties, which make it an attractive candidate as a transparent conductive oxide for photovoltaic applications. However, when depositing

Role of vacancy defects in Al doped ZnO thin films for optoelectronic devices

Science.gov (United States)

Rotella, H.; Mazel, Y.; Brochen, S.; Valla, A.; Pautrat, A.; Licitra, C.; Rochat, N.; Sabbione, C.; Rodriguez, G.; Nolot, E.

2017-12-01

We report on the electrical, optical and photoluminescence properties of industry-ready Al doped ZnO thin films grown by physical vapor deposition, and their evolution after annealing under vacuum. Doping ZnO with Al atoms increases the carrier density but also favors the formation of Zn vacancies, thereby inducing a saturation of the conductivity mechanism at high aluminum content. The electrical and optical properties of these thin layered materials are both improved by annealing process which creates oxygen vacancies that releases charge carriers thus improving the conductivity. This study underlines the effect of the formation of extrinsic and intrinsic defects in Al doped ZnO compound during the fabrication process. The quality and the optoelectronic response of the produced films are increased (up to 1.52 mΩ \\cdotcm and 3.73 eV) and consistent with the industrial device requirements.

New transparent conductive metal based on polymer composite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keshavarz Hedayati, Mehdi; Jamali, Mohammad [Nanochemistry and Nanoengineering, Institute for Materials Science, Faculty of Engineering, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel (Germany); Strunkus, Thomas; Zaporochentko, Vladimir; Faupel, Franz [Multicomponent Materials, Institute for Materials Science, Faculty of Engineering, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel (Germany); Elbahri, Mady [Nanochemistry and Nanoengineering, Institute for Materials Science, Faculty of Engineering, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel (Germany); Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht GmbH, Institute of Polymer Research, Nanochemistry and Nanoengineering (Germany)

2011-07-01

Currently great efforts are made to develop new kind of transparent conductors (TCs) to replace ITO. In this regard different materials and composites have been proposed and studied including conductive polymers, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), metal grids, and random networks of metallic nanowires. But so far none of them could be used as a replacing material, since either they are either fragile and brittle or their electrical conductivity is below the typical ITO. Thin metallic films due to their high electrical conductivity could be one of the best replacing materials for ITO, however their poor transparency makes their application as TCs limited. Here we design and fabricate a new polymeric composite coating which enhances the transparency of the thin metal film up to 100% relative to the initial value while having a high electrical conductivity of typical metals. Therefore our proposed device has a great potential to be used as new transparent conductor.

Enhanced thermoelectric transport in modulation-doped GaN/AlGaN core/shell nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Erdong; Martinez, Julio A; Li, Qiming; Pan, Wei; Wang, George T; Swartzentruber, Brian

2016-01-01

The thermoelectric properties of unintentionally n-doped core GaN/AlGaN core/shell N-face nanowires are reported. We found that the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity is consistent with thermally activated carriers with two distinctive donor energies. The Seebeck coefficient of GaN/AlGaN nanowires is more than twice as large as that for the GaN nanowires alone. However, an outer layer of GaN deposited onto the GaN/AlGaN core/shell nanowires decreases the Seebeck coefficient at room temperature, while the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity remains the same. We attribute these observations to the formation of an electron gas channel within the heavily-doped GaN core of the GaN/AlGaN nanowires. The room-temperature thermoelectric power factor for the GaN/AlGaN nanowires can be four times higher than the GaN nanowires. Selective doping in bandgap engineered core/shell nanowires is proposed for enhancing the thermoelectric power. (paper)

Application of an Al-doped zinc oxide subcontact layer on vanadium-compensated 6H-SiC photoconductive switches

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Tian-Yu; Liu, Xue-Chao; Huang, Wei; Dai, Chong-Chong; Zheng, Yan-Qing; Shi, Er-Wei

2015-04-01

Al-doped ZnO thin film (AZO) is used as a subcontact layer in 6H-SiC photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) to reduce the on-state resistance and optimize the device structure. Our photoconductive test shows that the on-state resistance of lateral PCSS with an n+-AZO subcontact layer is 14.7% lower than that of PCSS without an n+-AZO subcontact layer. This occurs because a heavy-doped AZO thin film can improve Ohmic contact properties, reduce contact resistance, and alleviate Joule heating. Combined with the high transparance characteristic at 532 nm of AZO film, vertical structural PCSS devices are designed and their structural superiority is discussed. This paper provides a feasible route for fabricating high performance SiC PCSS by using conductive and transparent ZnO-based materials. Project supported by the Innovation Program of the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics (Grant No. Y39ZC1110G), the Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KJCX2-EW-W10), the Industry-Academic Joint Technological Innovations Fund Project of Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. BY2011119), the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (Grant No. 14ZR1419000), the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61404146), and the National High-tech R & D Program of China (Grant Nos. 2013AA031603 and 2014AA032602).

Page 1 Heterogeneous doping effects in KC-AlO composites 213 of ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Heterogeneous doping effects in KC-AlO composites 213 of Al-O in KCl at 500°C for three different sizes of Al-O particles (0-05, 0-3 and. 1-0 um). The figure shows that as the concentration of Al Os increases, the conductivity increases slowly initially, then rather rapidly before it peaks at a 45mol%. Al2O. Moreover, as the ...

Optical and electrical properties of transparent conducting B-doped ZnO thin films prepared by various deposition methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nomoto, Jun-ichi; Miyata, Toshihiro; Minami, Tadatsugu

2011-01-01

B-doped ZnO (BZO) thin films were prepared with various thicknesses up to about 500 nm on glass substrates at 200 deg. C by dc or rf magnetron sputtering deposition, pulsed laser deposition (PLD), and vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) methods. Resistivities of 4-6 x 10 -4 Ω cm were obtained in BZO thin films prepared with a B content [B/(B + Zn) atomic ratio] around 1 at. % by PLD and VAPE methods: Hall mobilities above 40 cm 2 /Vs and carrier concentrations on the order of 10 20 cm -3 . All 500-nm-thick-BZO thin films prepared with a resistivity on the order of 10 -3 -10 -4 Ω cm exhibited an averaged transmittance above 80% in the wavelength range of 400-1100 nm. The resistivity in BZO thin films prepared with a thickness below about 500 nm was found to increase over time with exposure to various high humidity environments. In heat-resistance tests, the resistivity stability of BZO thin films was found to be nearly equal to that of Ga-doped ZnO thin films, so these films were judged suitable for use as a transparent electrode for thin-film solar cells.

Transparent Ferroelectric Capacitors on Glass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele Sette

2017-10-01

Full Text Available We deposited transparent ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate thin films on fused silica and contacted them via Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO transparent electrodes with an interdigitated electrode (IDE design. These layers, together with a TiO2 buffer layer on the fused silica substrate, are highly transparent (>60% in the visible optical range. Fully crystallized Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT films are dielectrically functional and exhibit a typical ferroelectric polarization loop with a remanent polarization of 15 μC/cm2. The permittivity value of 650, obtained with IDE AZO electrodes is equivalent to the one measured with Pt electrodes patterned with the same design, which proves the high quality of the developed transparent structures.

Ab-initio valence band spectra of Al, In doped ZnO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palacios, P.; Sanchez, K.; Wahnon, P.

2009-01-01

We present the structural and electronic characterization of n-doped (Aluminium or Indium) ZnO and the effect of the doping on the calculated photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) spectra. The fully-relaxed calculations have been made using the density functional theory, including a Hubbard correlation term that increases the Zn-3d states binding energy, and which matches the experimental values. The effect of Oxygen vacancies is also included in our study. Our results show that the new Al or In-donor levels appearing in the conduction band hybridize with the Oxygen-2p states and help decrease the resistivity of these doped systems as was found experimentally. The calculated PES spectra show a small enhancement in the intensity close to the chemical potential as a result of these new Al or In levels

Exploration of Al-Doped ZnO in Photovoltaic Thin Films

Science.gov (United States)

Ciccarino, Christopher; Sahiner, M. Alper

The electrical properties of Al doped ZnO-based thin films represent a potential advancement in the push for increasing solar cell efficiency. Doping with Aluminum will theoretically decrease resistivity of the film and therefore achieve this potential as a viable option in the P-N junction phase of photovoltaic cells. The n-type semi-conductive characteristics of the ZnO layer will theoretically be optimized with the addition of Aluminum carriers. In this study, Aluminum doping concentrations ranging from 1-3% by mass were produced, analyzed, and compared. Films were developed onto ITO coated glass using the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. Target thickness was 250 nm and ellipsometry measurements showed uniformity and accuracy in this regard. Active dopant concentrations were determined using Hall Effect measurements. Efficiency measurements showed possible applications of this doped compound, with upwards of 7% efficiency measured, using a Keithley 2602 SourceMeter set-up. XRD scans showed highly crystalline structures, with effective Al intertwining of the hexagonal wurtzile ZnO molecular structure. This alone indicates a promising future of collaboration between these two materials.

Quenching of surface traps in Mn doped ZnO thin films for enhanced optical transparency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ilyas, Usman; Rawat, R.S.; Roshan, G.; Tan, T.L.; Lee, P.; Springham, S.V.; Zhang, Sam; Fengji Li; Chen, R.; Sun, H.D.

2011-01-01

The structural and photoluminescence analyses were performed on un-doped and Mn doped ZnO thin films grown on Si (1 0 0) substrate by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and annealed at different post-deposition temperatures (500-800 deg. C). X-ray diffraction (XRD), employed to study the structural properties, showed an improved crystallinity at elevated temperatures with a consistent decrease in the lattice parameter 'c'. The peak broadening in XRD spectra and the presence of Mn 2p3/2 peak at ∼640 eV in X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic (XPS) spectra of the doped thin films confirmed the successful incorporation of Mn in ZnO host matrix. Extended near band edge emission (NBE) spectra indicated the reduction in the concentration of the intrinsic surface traps in comparison to the doped ones resulting in improved optical transparency. Reduced deep level emission (DLE) spectra in doped thin films with declined PL ratio validated the quenching of the intrinsic surface traps thereby improving the optical transparency and the band gap, essential for optoelectronic and spintronic applications. Furthermore, the formation and uniform distribution of nano-sized grains with improved surface features of Mn-doped ZnO thin films were observed in Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) images.

DFT study of Al doped armchair SWCNTs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dhiman, Shobhna, E-mail: s-dhiman@hotmail.com [Department of Applied Science, PEC, University of Technology, Chandigarh -160012 (India); Rani, Anita [Guru Nanak College for Girls, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Punjab-152026 (India); Kumar, Ranjan; Dharamvir, Keya [Department of Physics, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014 (India)

2016-05-23

Electronic properties of endohedrally doped armchair single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with a chain of six Al atoms have been studied using ab-initio density functional theory. We investigate the binding energy/atom, ionization potential, electron Affinity and Homo-Lumo gap of doped armchair SWNTs from (4,4) to (6,6) with two ends open. BE/dopant atom and ionization potential is maximum for (6, 6) doped armchair carbon nanotube; suggest that it is more stable than (4, 4) and (5, 5) doped tubes. HOMO - LUMO gap of Al doped arm chair carbon nanotubes decreases linearly with the increase in diameter of the tube. This shows that confinement induce a strong effect on electronic properties of doped tubes. These combined systems can be used for future nano electronics. The ab–initio calculations were performed with SIESTA code using generalized gradient approximation (GGA).

Electrodeposition of nanoporous ZnO on Al-doped ZnO leading to a highly organized structure for integration in Dye Sensitized Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renou G.

2010-10-01

Full Text Available In the present study, we propose an improvement of the anode configuration in Zinc Oxide based Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC. Instead of the classical configuration, which is composed by two different metal oxides: one transparent conducting oxide (TCO for the substrate and one nanostructured metal oxide for supporting the dye, the new approach is to use ZnO as unique material. Thus, nanoporous zinc oxide films have been electrodeposited on a sputtered Al doped ZnO layers with varying thicknesses up to 6 μm. The evolution of the porosity of the structure has been studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and compared with standard nanoporous ZnO grown on fluorine doped tin oxide (SnO2:F noted FTO. This results firstly in the modification of the nanoporous structure morphology and secondly a better adhesion between the nanoporous layer and the substrate. Organization in the nanoporous material is enhanced with regular pores arrays and perpendicular to the substrate. Dye sensitized solar cells based on this simplified architecture present efficiencies up to 4.2% and 4.5% with N719 and D149 respectively as sensitizers. Higher fill factor and Voc are found in comparison with the one obtained for deposition on the classical transparent conducting oxide (FTO, which denote improved electrical transfer properties.

Transparent CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnCl{sub 3}/Al-ZnO p-n heterojunction diode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Sunil, E-mail: skbgudha@gmail.com; Ansari, Mohd Zubair; Khare, Neeraj [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, Delhi-110016 (India)

2016-05-23

A p-type Organic inorganic tin chloride (CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnCl{sub 3}) perovskite thin film has been synthesized by solution method. An n-type 1% Al doped ZnO (AZO) film has been deposited on FTO substrate by ultrasonic assisted chemical vapor deposition technique. A transparent CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnCl{sub 3}/AZO p-n heterojunction diode has been fabricated by spin coating technique. CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnCl{sub 3}/AZO p-n heterojunction shows 75% transparency in the visible region. I-V characteristic of CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnCl{sub 3}/AZO p-n heterojunction shows rectifying behavior of the diode. The diode parameters calculated as ideality factor η=2.754 and barrier height Φ= 0.76 eV. The result demonstrates the potentiality of CH{sub 3}NH{sub 3}SnCl{sub 3}/AZO p-n heterojunction for transparent electronics.

Stable Nafion-functionalized graphene dispersions for transparent conducting films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yangqiao; Gao Lian; Sun Jing; Wang Yan; Zhang Jing

2009-01-01

Nafion was used for the first time to aid in preparing stable graphene dispersions in mixed water/ethanol (1:1) solvents via the reduction of graphite oxide using hydrazine. The dispersion was characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra, transmission electron microscopy, zeta potential analysis, etc. It was found that for Nafion-to-graphene ratios higher than 5:1, graphene solutions with concentrations up to 1 mg ml -1 and stabilities of over three months were obtained. It was proposed that the Nafion adsorbed onto the graphene by the hydrophobic interaction of its fluoro-backbones with the graphene layer and imparted stability by an electrosteric mechanism. Furthermore, transparent and conductive films were prepared using these highly stable Nafion-stabilized graphene dispersions. The prepared Nafion-graphene films possess smooth and homogeneous surfaces and the sheet resistance was as low as 30 kΩ/sq for a transmittance of 80% at 550 nm, which was much lower than for other graphene films obtained by chemical reduction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the p-doping of the graphene by Nafion. It was expected that this p-doping effect, as well as the high dispersing ability of Nafion for graphene and the connection of the sp 2 domains by residual Nafion combined to produce good properties of the Nafion-graphene films.

Fabrication and PL of Al-doped gallium nitride nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Shaomin

2006-01-01

Mass Al-doped GaN nanowires with an average diameter of about 50 nm and lengths up to several millimeters are fabricated by a CVD approach. The as-fabricated products have a single crystal phase and grow along the direction. The growth of Al-doped GaN nanowires is suggested for quasi-vapor-solid mechanism (QVSM). In particular, for as large-scale GaN nanowires, a novel strong ultraviolet PL spectrum (from 3.3 to 3.7 eV) appears with a doping Al where the Al-doped GaN nanowires are found to be responsible for the different characteristics; the PL mechanism is explained in detail

Influence of Al doping on structural and optical properties of Mg–Al co-doped ZnO thin films prepared by sol–gel method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Dongyu; Lin, Kui; Xue, Tao; Cui, Can; Chen, Xiaoping; Yao, Pei; Li, Huijun

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Mg–Al co-doped ZnO thin films were prepared by sol–gel spin coating method. • The effects of Al doping on structural and optical properties of AMZO thin films were investigated. • The EDS spectra confirmed presence of Mg and Al elements in AMZO thin films. • The optical band gap of AMZO thin films increased with Al doping concentration increased. • The origin of the photoluminescence emissions was discussed. -- Abstract: Mg–Al co-doped ZnO (AMZO) thin films were successfully deposited onto quartz glass substrates by sol–gel spin coating method. The structure, surface morphology, composition, optical transmittance, and photoluminescence properties of AMZO thin films were characterized through X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy, UV–VIS–NIR spectrophotometry, and fluorescence spectrophotometry. The results indicated that AMZO thin films exhibited preferred orientation growth along the c-axis, and the full width at half maximum of the (0 0 2) diffraction peak decreased first and subsequently increased, reaching a minimum of approximately 0.275° at 3% Al content. The calculated crystallite size increased from 30.21 nm to 40.73 nm. Al doping content increased from 1% to 3% and subsequently reached 19.33 nm for Al doping content at 5%. The change in lattice parameters was demonstrated by the c/a ratio, residual stress, bond length, and volume per unit cell. EDS analysis confirmed the presence of Mg and Al elements in ZnO thin films. The atomic percentage of Mg and Al elements was nearly equal to their nominal stoichiometry within the experimental error. In addition, the optical transmittance of AMZO thin films was over 85% in the visible region, and the optical band gap increased with increasing Al doping concentration. Room temperature photoluminescence showed ultraviolet emission peak and defect emission peak. The defect emission peak of

Influence of oblique-angle sputtered transparent conducting oxides on performance of Si-based thin film solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leem, Jung Woo; Yu, Jae Su

2011-01-01

The transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films with low-refractive-index (low-n) are fabricated by the oblique-angle sputtering method. By using the experimentally measured physical data of the fabricated low-n TCO films as the simulation parameters, the effect of low-n TCOs on the performance of a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem thin film solar cells is investigated using Silvaco ATLAS. The Al-doped zinc oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO), and Sb-doped tin oxide films are deposited at the flux incidence angles of θ i = 0 (normal sputtering) and θ i = 80 from the sputtering target during the sputtering process. The oblique-angle sputtered films at θ i = 80 show the inclined columnar nanostructures compared to those at θ i = 0 , modifying the optical properties of the films. This is caused mainly by the increase of porosity within the film which leads to its low-n characteristics. The a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem thin film solar cell incorporated with the low-n ITO film exhibits an improvement in the conversion efficiency of ∝1% under AM1.5g illumination because of its higher transmittance and lower absorption compared to that with the ITO film at θ i = 0 , indicating a conversion efficiency of 13.75%. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Atomic layer deposition of Al-doped ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tynell, Tommi; Yamauchi, Hisao; Karppinen, Maarit; Okazaki, Ryuji; Terasaki, Ichiro [Department of Chemistry, Aalto University, FI-00076 Aalto (Finland); Department of Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602 (Japan)

2013-01-15

Atomic layer deposition has been used to fabricate thin films of aluminum-doped ZnO by depositing interspersed layers of ZnO and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} on borosilicate glass substrates. The growth characteristics of the films have been investigated through x-ray diffraction, x-ray reflection, and x-ray fluorescence measurements, and the efficacy of the Al doping has been evaluated through optical reflectivity and Seebeck coefficient measurements. The Al doping is found to affect the carrier density of ZnO up to a nominal Al dopant content of 5 at. %. At nominal Al doping levels of 10 at. % and higher, the structure of the films is found to be strongly affected by the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase and no further carrier doping of ZnO is observed.

Easily doped p-type, low hole effective mass, transparent oxides

Science.gov (United States)

Sarmadian, Nasrin; Saniz, Rolando; Partoens, Bart; Lamoen, Dirk

2016-02-01

Fulfillment of the promise of transparent electronics has been hindered until now largely by the lack of semiconductors that can be doped p-type in a stable way, and that at the same time present high hole mobility and are highly transparent in the visible spectrum. Here, a high-throughput study based on first-principles methods reveals four oxides, namely X2SeO2, with X = La, Pr, Nd, and Gd, which are unique in that they exhibit excellent characteristics for transparent electronic device applications - i.e., a direct band gap larger than 3.1 eV, an average hole effective mass below the electron rest mass, and good p-type dopability. Furthermore, for La2SeO2 it is explicitly shown that Na impurities substituting La are shallow acceptors in moderate to strong anion-rich growth conditions, with low formation energy, and that they will not be compensated by anion vacancies VO or VSe.

Sputter deposited gallium doped ZnO for TCO applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dietrich, Marc; Kronenberger, Achim; Polity, Angelika; Meyer, Bruno [I. Physikalisches Institut, Justus Liebig Universitaet Giessen (Germany); Blaesing, Juergen; Krost, Alois [FNW/IEP/AHE, Otto-von-Guericke Universitaet Magdeburg (Germany)

2010-07-01

Transparent conducting oxides to be used for flat panel or display applications should exhibit low electrical resistivity in line with a high optical transmission in the visible spectral range. Today indium-tin-oxide is the material which meets these requirements best. However, the limited availability of indium makes it useful to search for alternatives and ZnO doped with group III elements are promising candidates. While the Al doping in high concentrations causes problems due to the formation of insulating Al-oxides, Gallium related oxides are typically n-type conducting wide band gap semiconductors. Therefore we deposited Gallium doped ZnO thin films on quartz and sapphire substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering with a ZnO/Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3}(3at%) composite target. The substrate temperature and the oxygen flow during the sputtering process were varied to optimise the layer properties. Introducing oxygen to the sputtering gas allowed to vary the resistivity of the films by three orders of magnitude from about 1 {omega}cm down to less than 1 m{omega}cm.

Zn doping induced conductivity transformation in NiO films for realization of p-n homo junction diode

Science.gov (United States)

Dewan, Sheetal; Tomar, Monika; Tandon, R. P.; Gupta, Vinay

2017-06-01

Mixed transition metal oxide, zinc doped NiO, Z n x N i 1 - x O (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, and 0.10), thin films have been fabricated by the RF magnetron sputtering technique in an oxygen deficit ambience at a growth temperature of 400 °C. The present report highlights the effect of Zn doping in NiO thin films on its structural, optical, and electrical properties. Optical transmission enhancement and band gap engineering in a-axis oriented NiO films have been demonstrated via Zn substitution. Hall effect measurements of the prepared samples revealed a transition from p-type to n-type conductivity in NiO at 2% Zn doping. A NiO based transparent p-n homojunction diode has been fabricated successfully, and the conduction mechanism dominating the diode properties is reported in detail. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the homojunction diode are found to obey the Space Charge Limited Conduction mechanism with non-ideal square law behaviour.

Treatment of transparent conductive oxides by laser processes for the development of Silicon photovoltaic cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canteli Perez-Caballero, D.

2015-01-01

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) are heavily doped oxides with high transparency in the visible range of the spectrum and a very low sheet resistance, making them very attractive for applications in optoelectronic devices. TCOs are widely found in many different areas such as low emissivity windows, electric contacts in computers, televisions or portable devices, and, specially, in the photovoltaic (PV) industry. PV industry is mainly based on mono- and multicrystalline silicon, where TCOs are used as anti-reflective coatings, but the search for cheaper, alternative technologies has led to the development of thin film PV technologies, where TCOs are used as transparent contacts. With the maturation of the thin film PV industry, laser sources have become an essential tool, allowing the improvement of some industrial processes and the development of new ones. Because of the interest on a deeper understanding of the interaction processes between laser light and TCOs, the laser ablation of three of the most important TCOs has been studied in depth in the present work. (Author)

Influence of nitrogen-doping concentration on the electronic structure of CuAlO{sub 2} by first-principles studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Wei-wei, E-mail: zmliuwwliu@126.com; Chen, Hong-xia; Liu, Cheng-lin; Wang, Rong

2017-02-05

Effect of N doping concentration on the electronic structure of N-doped CuAlO{sub 2} was investigated by density functional theory based on generalized-gradient approximation plus orbital potential. Lattice parameters a and c both increase with increasing N-doping concentration. Formation energies increase with increasing N doping concentration and all N-doped CuAlO{sub 2} were structurally stable. The calculated band gaps for N-doped CuAlO{sub 2} narrowed compared to pure CuAlO{sub 2}, which was attributed to the stronger hybridization between Cu-3d and N-2p states and the downward shift of Cu-3p states in conduction bands. The higher the N-doping concentration is, the narrower the band gap. N-doped CuAlO{sub 2} shows a typical p-type semiconductor. The band structure changed from indirect to direct after N doping which will benefit the application of the CuAlO{sub 2} materials in optoelectronic and electronic devices. - Highlights: • Electronic structures of CuAlO{sub 2} with different N content were investigated. • The higher the N-doping concentration is, the narrower the band gap. • All the CuAlO{sub 2} with different N content were structurally stable. • The N-doped CuAlO{sub 2} shows a typical p-type semiconductor characteristic.

Limits of transparency of transparent conducting oxides

Science.gov (United States)

Peelaers, Hartwin

A fundamental understanding of the factors that limit transparency in transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) is essential for further progress in materials and applications. These materials have a sufficiently large band gap, so that direct optical transitions do not lead to absorption of light within the visible spectrum. Since the presence of free carriers is essential for conductivity and thus for device applications, this introduces the possibility of additional absorption processes. In particular, indirect processes are possible, and these will constitute a fundamental limit of the material. The Drude theory is widely used to describe free-carrier absorption, but it is phenomenological in nature and tends to work poorly at shorter wavelengths, where band-structure effects are important. We will present calculations of phonon- and defect-assisted free-carrier absorption in a TCO completely from first principles. We will focus in detail on SnO2, but the methodology is general and we will also compare the results obtained for other TCO materials such as In2O3. These calculations provide not just quantitative results but also deeper insights in the mechanisms that govern absorption processes, which is essential for engineering improved materials to be used in more efficient devices. This work was performed in collaboration with E. Kioupakis and C.G. Van de Walle and was supported by ARO and NSF.

Tungsten oxide proton conducting films for low-voltage transparent oxide-based thin-film transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Hongliang; Wan, Qing; Wan, Changjin; Wu, Guodong; Zhu, Liqiang

2013-01-01

Tungsten oxide (WO x ) electrolyte films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering showed a high room temperature proton conductivity of 1.38 × 10 −4 S/cm with a relative humidity of 60%. Low-voltage transparent W-doped indium-zinc-oxide thin-film transistors gated by WO x -based electrolytes were self-assembled on glass substrates by one mask diffraction method. Enhancement mode operation with a large current on/off ratio of 4.7 × 10 6 , a low subthreshold swing of 108 mV/decade, and a high field-effect mobility 42.6 cm 2 /V s was realized. Our results demonstrated that WO x -based proton conducting films were promising gate dielectric candidates for portable low-voltage oxide-based devices.

Transparent conductive oxides for thin-film silicon solar cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Löffler, J.

2005-01-01

This thesis describes research on thin-film silicon solar cells with focus on the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) for such devices. In addition to the formation of a transparent and electrically conductive front electrode for the solar cell allowing photocurrent collection with low ohmic losses,

Photo-Induced conductivity of heterojunction GaAs/Rare-Earth doped SnO2

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina de Freitas Bueno

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Rare-earth doped (Eu3+ or Ce3+ thin layers of tin dioxide (SnO2 are deposited by the sol-gel-dip-coating technique, along with gallium arsenide (GaAs films, deposited by the resistive evaporation technique. The as-built heterojunction has potential application in optoelectronic devices, because it may combine the emission from the rare-earth-doped transparent oxide, with a high mobility semiconductor. Trivalent rare-earth-doped SnO2 presents very efficient emission in a wide wavelength range, including red (in the case of Eu3+ or blue (Ce3+. The advantage of this structure is the possibility of separation of the rare-earth emission centers, from the electron scattering, leading to an indicated combination for electroluminescence. Electrical characterization of the heterojunction SnO2:Eu/GaAs shows a significant conductivity increase when compared to the conductivity of the individual films. Monochromatic light excitation shows up the role of the most external layer, which may act as a shield (top GaAs, or an ultraviolet light absorber sink (top RE-doped SnO2. The observed improvement on the electrical transport properties is probably related to the formation of short conduction channels in the semiconductors junction with two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG behavior, which are evaluated by excitation with distinct monochromatic light sources, where the samples are deposited by varying the order of layer deposition.

Highly doped ZnO films deposited by spray-pyrolysis. Design parameters for optoelectronic applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcés, F.A., E-mail: felipe.garces@santafe-conicet.gov.ar [Instituto de Física del Litoral (UNL-CONICET), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Budini, N. [Instituto de Física del Litoral (UNL-CONICET), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Schmidt, J.A.; Arce, R.D. [Instituto de Física del Litoral (UNL-CONICET), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santiago del Estero 2829, Santa Fe S3000AOM (Argentina)

2016-04-30

Synthesis and preparation of ZnO films are relevant subjects for obtaining transparent and conducting layers with interesting applications in optoelectronics and photovoltaics. Optimization of parameters such as dopant type and concentration, deposition time and substrate temperature is important for obtaining ZnO layers with optimal properties. In this work we present a study about the induced effects of deposition time on optical and electrical properties of ZnO thin films. These films were deposited by spray pyrolysis of a suitable Zn precursor, obtained through the sol–gel method. The deposition time has direct incidence on internal stress in the crystal structure, generating defects that may affect transparency and electrical transport into the layers. We performed mosaicity measurements, through X-ray diffraction, and used it as a tool to get an insight on structural characteristics and homogeneity of ZnO layers. Also, through this technique, we analyzed thickness and doping effects on crystallinity and carrier transport properties. - Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO films with high conductivity and moderate Hall mobility were obtained. • Mosaicity between crystalline domains increased with film thickness. • Lattice parameters a and c diminished linearly as a function of Al concentration. • First steps for developing porous silicon/doped ZnO heterojunctions were presented.

Highly doped ZnO films deposited by spray-pyrolysis. Design parameters for optoelectronic applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcés, F.A.; Budini, N.; Schmidt, J.A.; Arce, R.D.

2016-01-01

Synthesis and preparation of ZnO films are relevant subjects for obtaining transparent and conducting layers with interesting applications in optoelectronics and photovoltaics. Optimization of parameters such as dopant type and concentration, deposition time and substrate temperature is important for obtaining ZnO layers with optimal properties. In this work we present a study about the induced effects of deposition time on optical and electrical properties of ZnO thin films. These films were deposited by spray pyrolysis of a suitable Zn precursor, obtained through the sol–gel method. The deposition time has direct incidence on internal stress in the crystal structure, generating defects that may affect transparency and electrical transport into the layers. We performed mosaicity measurements, through X-ray diffraction, and used it as a tool to get an insight on structural characteristics and homogeneity of ZnO layers. Also, through this technique, we analyzed thickness and doping effects on crystallinity and carrier transport properties. - Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO films with high conductivity and moderate Hall mobility were obtained. • Mosaicity between crystalline domains increased with film thickness. • Lattice parameters a and c diminished linearly as a function of Al concentration. • First steps for developing porous silicon/doped ZnO heterojunctions were presented.

Ultrabroadband terahertz characterization of highly doped ZnO and ITO

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Tianwu; Zalkovskij, Maksim; Iwaszczuk, Krzysztof

2015-01-01

The broadband complex conductivities of transparent conducting oxides (TCO), namely, aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) and tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), were investigated by using THz-TDS from 0.5 to 18 THz. The complex conductivities were accurately calculated using...

Optical and electrical properties of transparent conducting B-doped ZnO thin films prepared by various deposition methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nomoto, Jun-ichi; Miyata, Toshihiro; Minami, Tadatsugu [Optoelectronic Device System R and D Center, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 7-1 Ohgigaoka, Nonoichi, Ishikawa 921-8501 (Japan)

2011-07-15

B-doped ZnO (BZO) thin films were prepared with various thicknesses up to about 500 nm on glass substrates at 200 deg. C by dc or rf magnetron sputtering deposition, pulsed laser deposition (PLD), and vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) methods. Resistivities of 4-6 x 10{sup -4}{Omega} cm were obtained in BZO thin films prepared with a B content [B/(B + Zn) atomic ratio] around 1 at. % by PLD and VAPE methods: Hall mobilities above 40 cm{sup 2}/Vs and carrier concentrations on the order of 10{sup 20} cm{sup -3}. All 500-nm-thick-BZO thin films prepared with a resistivity on the order of 10{sup -3}-10{sup -4}{Omega} cm exhibited an averaged transmittance above 80% in the wavelength range of 400-1100 nm. The resistivity in BZO thin films prepared with a thickness below about 500 nm was found to increase over time with exposure to various high humidity environments. In heat-resistance tests, the resistivity stability of BZO thin films was found to be nearly equal to that of Ga-doped ZnO thin films, so these films were judged suitable for use as a transparent electrode for thin-film solar cells.

Degradation studies of transparent conductive electrodes on electroactive poly(vinylidene fluoride for uric acid measurements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanessa F Cardoso, Pedro Martins, Gabriela Botelho, Luis Rebouta, Senentxu Lanceros-Méndez and Graca Minas

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Biochemical analysis of physiological fluids using, for example, lab-on-a-chip devices requires accurate mixing of two or more fluids. This mixing can be assisted by acoustic microagitation using a piezoelectric material, such as the β-phase of poly(vinylidene fluoride (β-PVDF. If the analysis is performed using optical absorption spectroscopy and β-PVDF is located in the optical path, the material and its conductive electrodes must be transparent. Moreover, if, to improve the transmission of the ultrasonic waves to the fluids, the piezoelectric transducer is placed inside the fluidic structures, its degradation must be assessed. In this paper, we report on the degradation properties of transparent conductive oxides, namely, indium tin oxide (ITO and aluminum-doped zinc oxide, when they are used as electrodes for providing acoustic microagitation. The latter promotes mixing of chemicals involved in the measurement of uric acid concentration in physiological fluids. The results are compared with those for aluminum electrodes. We find that β-PVDF samples with ITO electrodes do not degrade either with or without acoustic microagitation.

Degradation studies of transparent conductive electrodes on electroactive poly(vinylidene fluoride) for uric acid measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardoso, Vanessa F; Minas, Graca; Martins, Pedro; Rebouta, Luis; Lanceros-Mendez, Senentxu; Botelho, Gabriela

2010-01-01

Biochemical analysis of physiological fluids using, for example, lab-on-a-chip devices requires accurate mixing of two or more fluids. This mixing can be assisted by acoustic microagitation using a piezoelectric material, such as the β-phase of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (β-PVDF). If the analysis is performed using optical absorption spectroscopy and β-PVDF is located in the optical path, the material and its conductive electrodes must be transparent. Moreover, if, to improve the transmission of the ultrasonic waves to the fluids, the piezoelectric transducer is placed inside the fluidic structures, its degradation must be assessed. In this paper, we report on the degradation properties of transparent conductive oxides, namely, indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide, when they are used as electrodes for providing acoustic microagitation. The latter promotes mixing of chemicals involved in the measurement of uric acid concentration in physiological fluids. The results are compared with those for aluminum electrodes. We find that β-PVDF samples with ITO electrodes do not degrade either with or without acoustic microagitation.

An Al-doped ZnO electrode grown by highly efficient cylindrical rotating magnetron sputtering for low cost organic photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jun-Hyuk; Ahn, Kyung-Jun; Park, Kang-Il; Na, Seok-In; Kim, Han-Ki

2010-03-01

We report the characteristics of Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films prepared by a highly efficient cylindrical rotating magnetron sputtering (CRMS) system for use as a transparent conducting electrode in cost-efficient bulk hetero-junction organic solar cells (OSCs). Using a rotating cylindrical type cathode with an AZO target, whose usage was above 80%, we were able to obtain a low cost and indium free AZO electrode with a low sheet resistance of ~4.59 Ω/sq, a high transparency of 85% in the visible wavelength region and a work function of 4.9 eV at a substrate temperature of 230 °C. Moreover, the neutral poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) : poly(styrenesulfonate) based OSC fabricated on the CRMS-grown AZO electrode at 230 °C showed an open circuit voltage of 0.5 V, a short circuit current of 8.94 mA cm-2, a fill factor of 45% and power conversion efficiency of 2.01%, indicating that CRMS is a promising cost-efficient AZO deposition technique for low cost OSCs.

Pulsed laser deposition of transparent conductive oxide thin films on flexible substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Socol, G.; Socol, M.; Stefan, N.; Axente, E.; Popescu-Pelin, G.; Craciun, D.; Duta, L.; Mihailescu, C. N.; Mihailescu, I. N.; Stanculescu, A.; Visan, D.; Sava, V.; Galca, A. C.; Luculescu, C. R.; Craciun, V.

2012-11-01

The influence of target-substrate distance during pulsed laser deposition of indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films grown on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates was investigated. It was found that the properties of such flexible transparent conductive oxide (TCO)/PET electrodes critically depend on this parameter. The TCO films that were deposited at distances of 6 and 8 cm exhibited an optical transmittance higher than 90% in the visible range and electrical resistivities around 5 × 10-4 Ω cm. In addition to these excellent electrical and optical characteristics the films grown at 8 cm distance were homogenous, smooth, adherent, and without cracks or any other extended defects, being suitable for opto-electronic device applications.

Fabrication of transparent conductive tri-composite film for electrochromic application

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Dahyun; Lee, Minji; Kim, Hyungsub; Chu, Won-shik; Chun, Doo-man; Ahn, Sung-Hoon; Lee, Caroline Sunyong

2017-12-01

A transparent conductive electrode (TCE) based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) was developed using a dry deposition method for application as an electrochromic (EC) device. To improve its electrical conductivity and stable EC performance, AgNW and TiO2 nanoparticles were included in the TCE film. The resulting TiO2/AgNW/PEDOT:PSS hybrid film showed electrical sheet resistivity of 23 Ω/sq., similar to that of a commercial TCE film. When +2.0 V was applied to the hybrid film, the response current was stable, maintaining a value of 2.0 mA. We found that the hybrid film could be used as an EC device, without using commercial TCE film. Antimony-doped tin oxide on indium-doped tin oxide-glass as an ion-storage layer was combined with the hybrid film, with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (EMIM-TFSI) injected into the EC device as an ionic liquid electrolyte. The optical transmittance difference between the colored and bleached states was 23% at 630 nm; under applied voltages of -2.0 V and +2.0 V, the coloration efficiency was 127.83 cm2/C. Moreover, cyclic transmittance with switching voltage for 3 h showed stable optical transmittance of 31% at 630 nm. Cyclic voltammetry measurements indicated stable behavior over 50 cycles. Thus, the proposed TCE configuration (TiO2/AgNW/PEDOT:PSS) shows great potential as a substitute for commercial TCEs, the cost of which depends on the availability of rare-earth materials.

Properties of Nb-doped ZnO transparent conductive thin films ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

by rf magnetron sputtering using a high quality ceramic target ... Guangxi Key Laboratory of Information Materials, Guilin University of Electronic ... films are highly textured along the c axis and perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. ... ZnO films; Nb-doped; magnetron sputtering; optical and electrical properties. 1.

Transparent conducting film: Effect of mechanical stretching

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

We describe in this paper a transparent conducting film (TCF). ... conducting carbon nanotube film which is crack-resistant for solar cell applications. ... CA 90095, USA; Nanocomp Technologies, Inc, 162 Pembroke Road, Concord, NH 03301 ...

Strong and Stable Doping of Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene by MoO x for Transparent Electrodes

KAUST Repository

Hellstrom, Sondra L.

2012-07-11

MoO x has been used for organic semiconductor doping, but it had been considered an inefficient and/or unstable dopant. We report that MoO x can strongly and stably dope carbon nanotubes and graphene. Thermally annealed MoO x-CNT composites can form durable thin film electrodes with sheet resistances of 100 ω/sq at 85% transmittance plain and 85 ω/sq at 83% transmittance with a PEDOT:PSS adlayer. Sheet resistances change less than 10% over 20 days in ambient and less than 2% with overnight heating to 300 °C in air. The MoO x can be easily deposited either by thermal evaporation or from solution-based precursors. Excellent stability coupled with high conductivity makes MoO x-CNT composites extremely attractive candidates for practical transparent electrodes. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Convenient preparation of ITO nanoparticles inks for transparent conductive thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Daisuke; Masuko, Keiichiro; Weintraub, Benjamin A.; McKenzie, Lallie C.; Hutchison, James E.

2012-01-01

Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) nanoparticles are useful precursors to transparent electrodes in a variety of technologically important applications. We synthesized ITO nanoparticles from indium and tin acetylacetonates in oleyl alcohol using a novel temperature ramp profile. The monodispersed ITO nanoparticles have an average diameter of 8.6 nm and form dense, flat films by simple spin coating. The thickness of the film can be controlled by varying the number of additional depositions. The resulting ITO film is transparent and has a resistivity of 7 × 10 −3 Ω cm after sintering at 300 °C. Using a suitable solvent, it is possible to coat high-aspect-ratio structures with ITO nanoparticles. This approach to ITO coatings is greener and offers a number of advantages for transparent electrodes because it is highly versatile, easily scalable, and supports low-cost manufacturing.

Ferromagnetic properties of Mn-doped AlN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, H.; Bao, H.Q.; Song, B.; Wang, W.J.; Chen, X.L.; He, L.J.; Yuan, W.X.

2008-01-01

Mn-doped AlN polycrystalline powders with a wurtzite structure were synthesized by solid-state reactions. A red-orange band at 600 nm, due to Mn 3+ incorporated into the AlN lattice, is observed in the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum at room temperature (RT). Magnetic measurements show the samples possess hysteresis loops up to 300 K, indicating that the obtained powders are ferromagnetic at around RT. The Mn concentration-induced RT ferromagnetism is less than 1 at%. Our results confirm that the RT ferromagnetism can be realized in Mn-doped AlN

Electrochemically conductive treatment of TiO2 nanotube arrays in AlCl3 aqueous solution for supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Wenjie; Sang, Shangbin; Liu, Yingying; Wu, Qiumei; Liu, Kaiyu; Liu, Hongtao

2015-10-01

Highly ordered TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTAs) with excellent stability and large specific surface area make them competitive using as supercapacitor materials. Improving the conductivity of TiO2 is of great concern for the construction of high-performance supercapacitors. In this work, we developed a novel approach to improve the performance of TiO2 materials, involving the fabrication of Al-doped TiO2 NTAs by a simple electrochemical cathodic polarization treatment in AlCl3 aqueous solution. The prepared Al-doped TiO2 NTAs exhibited excellent electrochemical performances, attributing to the remarkably improved electrical conductivity (i.e., from approx. 10 kΩ to 20 Ω). Further analysis showed that Al3+ ions rather than H+ protons doped into TiO2 lattice cause this high conductivity. A MnO2/Al-TiO2 composite was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, and achieved the specific capacitance of 544 F g-1, and the Ragone plot of the sample showed a high power density but less reduction of energy density. These results indicate that the MnO2/Al-TiO2 NTAs sample could be served as a promising electrode material for high -performance supercapacitors.

Spectroscopic properties of Er/Nd co-doped yttrium lanthanum oxide transparent ceramics pumped at 980 nm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shao, Yingjie; Yang, Qiuhong, E-mail: yangqiuhong@shu.edu.cn; Gui, Yan; Yuan, Ye; Lu, Qing

2016-05-15

(Er{sub 0.01}Nd{sub x}Y{sub 0.89-x}La{sub 0.1}){sub 2}O{sub 3} (x = 0, 0.001, 0.002, 0.005, 0.01) transparent ceramics were prepared by conventional ceramic processing. The Nd{sup 3+} content dependencies of mid-infrared, near infrared and up-conversion emission of Er{sup 3+} pumped at 980 nm were fully presented. Mechanism of energy transfer between Er{sup 3+} and Nd{sup 3+} was also demonstrated. The results showed that co-doping 0.1 at% Nd{sup 3+} into 1 at% Er{sup 3+} doped yttrium lanthanum oxide transparent ceramic enhanced the 2.7 μm emission significantly and meanwhile suppressed the 1.5 μm emission effectively which indicated an improvement in population inversion between Er:{sup 4}I{sub 11/2} and Er:{sup 4}I{sub 13/2}. Moreover, green up-conversion emission of Er{sup 3+} ion also showed a great improvement by co-doping 0.1 at% Nd{sup 3+}. Those great results were attributed to energy recycle from Er:{sup 4}I{sub 13/2} to Er:{sup 4}I{sub 11/2}. The energy recycle was mainly built by the two energy transfer between Er{sup 3+} and Nd{sup 3+} (one is from Er to Nd, another is in opposite way). So, Er/Nd co-doped yttrium lanthanum oxide transparent ceramic with Nd in low concentration can be considered as a promising laser material for ∼3 μm and up-conversion laser application. - Highlights: • (Er{sub 0.01}Nd{sub x}Y{sub 0.89-x}La{sub 0.1}){sub 2}O{sub 3} transparent ceramics were prepared. • The emission of 2.7 μm of Er{sup 3+} ion was significantly enhanced as x was 0.001. • The emission of 1.5 μm of Er{sup 3+} ion was suppressed greatly by co-doping Nd{sup 3+} ion. • Mechanism of Er–Nd energy transfer was discussed by the energy sketch.

Pulsed laser deposition of transparent conductive oxide thin films on flexible substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Socol, G.; Socol, M.; Stefan, N.; Axente, E.; Popescu-Pelin, G.; Craciun, D.; Duta, L.; Mihailescu, C.N.; Mihailescu, I.N.; Stanculescu, A.; Visan, D.; Sava, V.; Galca, A.C.; Luculescu, C.R.; Craciun, V.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► TCO thin films were grown by PLD on PET substrate at low temperature. ► We found that the quality of TCO on PET substrate depends on the target–substrate distance. ► TCO with high transparency (>95%) and reduced electrical resistivity (∼5 × 10 −4 Ω cm) were obtained. ► Optimized TCO films deposited on PET were free of any cracks. - Abstract: The influence of target–substrate distance during pulsed laser deposition of indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium tin oxide (ITO) and aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films grown on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates was investigated. It was found that the properties of such flexible transparent conductive oxide (TCO)/PET electrodes critically depend on this parameter. The TCO films that were deposited at distances of 6 and 8 cm exhibited an optical transmittance higher than 90% in the visible range and electrical resistivities around 5 × 10 −4 Ω cm. In addition to these excellent electrical and optical characteristics the films grown at 8 cm distance were homogenous, smooth, adherent, and without cracks or any other extended defects, being suitable for opto-electronic device applications.

Electrical, optical, and electronic properties of Al:ZnO films in a wide doping range

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valenti, Ilaria; Valeri, Sergio; Benedetti, Stefania; Bona, Alessandro di; Lollobrigida, Valerio; Perucchi, Andrea; Di Pietro, Paola; Lupi, Stefano; Torelli, Piero

2015-01-01

The combination of photoemission spectroscopies, infrared and UV-VIS absorption, and electric measurements has allowed to clarify the mechanisms governing the conductivity and the electronic properties of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films in a wide doping range. The contribution of defect-related in-gap states to conduction has been excluded in optimally doped films (around 4 at. %). The appearance of gap states at high doping, the disappearance of occupied DOS at Fermi level, and the bands evolution complete the picture of electronic structure in AZO when doped above 4 at. %. In this situation, compensating defects deplete the conduction band and increase the electronic bandgap of the material. Electrical measurements and figure of merit determination confirm the high quality of the films obtained by magnetron sputtering, and thus allow to extend their properties to AZO films in general

Electrical, optical, and electronic properties of Al:ZnO films in a wide doping range

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valenti, Ilaria; Valeri, Sergio [CNR, Istituto Nanoscienze, S3, Via G. Campi 213/a, 41125 Modena (Italy); Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Informatiche e Matematiche, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Via G. Campi 213/a, 41125 Modena (Italy); Benedetti, Stefania, E-mail: stefania.benedetti@unimore.it; Bona, Alessandro di [CNR, Istituto Nanoscienze, S3, Via G. Campi 213/a, 41125 Modena (Italy); Lollobrigida, Valerio [Dipartimento di Scienze, Università Roma Tre, I-00146 Rome, Italy and Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Università Roma Tre, I-00146 Rome (Italy); Perucchi, Andrea; Di Pietro, Paola [INSTM Udr Trieste-ST and Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A., Area Science Park, I-34012 Trieste (Italy); Lupi, Stefano [CNR-IOM and Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma Sapienza, P.le Aldo Moro 2, I-00185 Roma (Italy); Torelli, Piero [Laboratorio TASC, IOM-CNR, S.S. 14 km 163.5, Basovizza, I-34149 Trieste (Italy)

2015-10-28

The combination of photoemission spectroscopies, infrared and UV-VIS absorption, and electric measurements has allowed to clarify the mechanisms governing the conductivity and the electronic properties of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films in a wide doping range. The contribution of defect-related in-gap states to conduction has been excluded in optimally doped films (around 4 at. %). The appearance of gap states at high doping, the disappearance of occupied DOS at Fermi level, and the bands evolution complete the picture of electronic structure in AZO when doped above 4 at. %. In this situation, compensating defects deplete the conduction band and increase the electronic bandgap of the material. Electrical measurements and figure of merit determination confirm the high quality of the films obtained by magnetron sputtering, and thus allow to extend their properties to AZO films in general.

Spectral and optical performance of electrochromic poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) deposited on transparent conducting oxide coated glass and polymer substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sindhu, S.; Narasimha Rao, K.; Ahuja, Sharath; Kumar, Anil; Gopal, E.S.R.

2006-01-01

Electrochromic devices utilizing conjugated polymers as electrochromic layers have gained increasing attention owing to their optical properties, fast switching times and contrast ratios. Polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT) is an excellent material from its electrochromic properties, high conductivity and high stability in the doped form. Aqueous dispersions of PEDOT were either spin coated or electro-polymerized on transparent conducting oxide coated glass and polyethylene tetraphthalate (PET) film substrates. The spectro- and opto-electrochemical studies of the films on transparent conducting oxide coated glass/PET substrates were performed. These films have application in the fabrication of electrochromic windows (smart windows). Smart window devices having excellent switching characteristics over wide range of temperature are used for glazing applications. The aerospace industry is interested in the development of visors and windows that can control glare for pilots and passengers, especially if the coatings can be made on curved surfaces and electrically conducting

On compensation in Si-doped AlN

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Joshua S.; Baker, Jonathon N.; Gaddy, Benjamin E.; Bryan, Isaac; Bryan, Zachary; Mirrielees, Kelsey J.; Reddy, Pramod; Collazo, Ramón; Sitar, Zlatko; Irving, Douglas L.

2018-04-01

Controllable n-type doping over wide ranges of carrier concentrations in AlN, or Al-rich AlGaN, is critical to realizing next-generation applications in high-power electronics and deep UV light sources. Silicon is not a hydrogenic donor in AlN as it is in GaN; despite this, the carrier concentration should be controllable, albeit less efficiently, by increasing the donor concentration during growth. At low doping levels, an increase in the Si content leads to a commensurate increase in free electrons. Problematically, this trend does not persist to higher doping levels. In fact, a further increase in the Si concentration leads to a decrease in free electron concentration; this is commonly referred to as the compensation knee. While the nature of this decrease has been attributed to a variety of compensating defects, the mechanism and identity of the predominant defects associated with the knee have not been conclusively determined. Density functional theory calculations using hybrid exchange-correlation functionals have identified VAl+n SiAl complexes as central to mechanistically understanding compensation in the high Si limit in AlN, while secondary impurities and vacancies tend to dominate compensation in the low Si limit. The formation energies and optical signatures of these defects in AlN are calculated and utilized in a grand canonical charge balance solver to identify carrier concentrations as a function of Si content. The results were found to qualitatively reproduce the experimentally observed compensation knee. Furthermore, these calculations predict a shift in the optical emissions present in the high and low doping limits, which is confirmed with detailed photoluminescence measurements.

Sinterability and conductivity of barium doped aluminium lanthanum oxyapatite La{sub 9.5}Ba{sub 0.5}Si{sub 5.5}Al{sub 0.5}O{sub 26.5} electrolyte of solid oxide fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cao Xiaoguo [Faculty of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, Guangdong (China); Jiang Sanping, E-mail: s.jiang@curtin.edu.au [Fuels and Energy Technology Institute and Department of Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102 (Australia)

2012-05-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ba doping enhances the sintering and densification properties of aluminium lanthanum apatite. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ba doping improves the oxide conductivity of aluminium lanthanum apatite. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The enhancement of Ba doping is mainly due to the significantly reduced grain boundary resistance of the aluminium lanthanum apatite. - Abstract: Apatite ceramics are interesting alternative solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) electrolytes because of their open structure for the transportation of oxide ions and their good chemical stability. This study reports the influence of barium doping on the microstructure, sinterability and oxide conductivity properties of the aluminium lanthanum oxyapatite La{sub 9.5}Ba{sub 0.5}Si{sub 5.5}Al{sub 0.5}O{sub 26.5}. SEM results show that lanthanum substitution with barium improves the sinterability of apatite ceramics. The barium doping also enhances the conductivity of the aluminium lanthanum silicates. The oxygen ion conductivity of La{sub 9.5}Ba{sub 0.5}Si{sub 5.5}Al{sub 0.5}O{sub 26.5} sintered at 1600 Degree-Sign C is 2.21 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -2} S cm{sup -1} at 800 Degree-Sign C, higher than 9.81 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} S cm{sup -1} of La{sub 10}Si{sub 5}AlO{sub 26.5} sample prepared under the same conditions. The results in the present study demonstrate that doping Ba on the La site for aluminium lanthanum oxyapatite reduces the sintering temperature and improves the ion conductivity. The enhancement of Ba dopant is mainly on the improvement of the densification and thus substantially reduced grain boundary resistance of aluminium lanthanum oxyapatite particularly at low temperatures.

Influence of oblique-angle sputtered transparent conducting oxides on performance of Si-based thin film solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leem, Jung Woo; Yu, Jae Su [Department of Electronics and Radio Engineering, Kyung Hee University, 1 Seocheon-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-09-15

The transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films with low-refractive-index (low-n) are fabricated by the oblique-angle sputtering method. By using the experimentally measured physical data of the fabricated low-n TCO films as the simulation parameters, the effect of low-n TCOs on the performance of a-Si:H/{mu}c-Si:H tandem thin film solar cells is investigated using Silvaco ATLAS. The Al-doped zinc oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO), and Sb-doped tin oxide films are deposited at the flux incidence angles of {theta}{sub i} = 0 (normal sputtering) and {theta}{sub i} = 80 from the sputtering target during the sputtering process. The oblique-angle sputtered films at {theta}{sub i} = 80 show the inclined columnar nanostructures compared to those at {theta}{sub i} = 0 , modifying the optical properties of the films. This is caused mainly by the increase of porosity within the film which leads to its low-n characteristics. The a-Si:H/{mu}c-Si:H tandem thin film solar cell incorporated with the low-n ITO film exhibits an improvement in the conversion efficiency of {proportional_to}1% under AM1.5g illumination because of its higher transmittance and lower absorption compared to that with the ITO film at {theta}{sub i} = 0 , indicating a conversion efficiency of 13.75%. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Disorder-induced enhancement of conductance in doped nanowires

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xu Ning; Wang Bao-Lin; Sun Hou-Qian; Kong Fan-Jie

2010-01-01

A new mechanism is proposed to explain the enhancement of conductance in doped nanowires. It is shown that the anomalous enhancement of conductance is due to surface doping. The conductance in doped nanowires increases with dopant concentration, which is qualitatively consistent with the existing experimental results. In addition, the I-V curves are linear and thus suggest that the metal electrodes make ohmic contacts to the shell-doped nanowires.The electric current increases with wire diameter (D) and decreases exponentially with wire length (L). Therefore, the doped nanowires have potential application in nanoscale electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Doping graphene films via chemically mediated charge transfer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ishikawa Ryousuke

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Transparent conductive films (TCFs are critical components of a myriad of technologies including flat panel displays, light-emitting diodes, and solar cells. Graphene-based TCFs have attracted a lot of attention because of their high electrical conductivity, transparency, and low cost. Carrier doping of graphene would potentially improve the properties of graphene-based TCFs for practical industrial applications. However, controlling the carrier type and concentration of dopants in graphene films is challenging, especially for the synthesis of p-type films. In this article, a new method for doping graphene using the conjugated organic molecule, tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ, is described. Notably, TCNQ is well known as a powerful electron accepter and is expected to favor electron transfer from graphene into TCNQ molecules, thereby leading to p-type doping of graphene films. Small amounts of TCNQ drastically improved the resistivity without degradation of optical transparency. Our carrier doping method based on charge transfer has a huge potential for graphene-based TCFs.

Ionic Conductivity and Air Stability of Al-Doped Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ Sintered in Alumina and Pt Crucibles.

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Wenhao; Xu, Biyi; Duan, Huanan; Guo, Yiping; Kang, Hongmei; Li, Hua; Liu, Hezhou

2016-03-02

Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is a promising electrolyte material for all-solid-state battery due to its high ionic conductivity and good stability with metallic lithium. In this article, we studied the effect of crucibles on the ionic conductivity and air stability by synthesizing 0.25Al doped LLZO pellets in Pt crucibles and alumina crucibles, respectively. The results show that the composition and microstructure of the pellets play important roles influencing the ionic conductivity, relative density, and air stability. Specifically, the 0.25Al-LLZO pellets sintered in Pt crucibles exhibit a high relative density (∼96%) and high ionic conductivity (4.48 × 10(-4) S cm(-1)). The ionic conductivity maintains 3.6 × 10(-4) S cm(-1) after 3-month air exposure. In contrast, the ionic conductivity of the pellets from alumina crucibles is about 1.81 × 10(-4) S cm(-1) and drops to 2.39 × 10(-5) S cm(-1) 3 months later. The large grains and the reduced grain boundaries in the pellets sintered in Pt crucibles are favorable to obtain high ionic conductivity and good air stability. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy results suggest that the formation of Li2CO3 on the pellet surface is probably another main reason, which is also closely related to the relative density and the amount of grain boundary within the pellets. This work stresses the importance of synthesis parameters, crucibles included, to obtain the LLZO electrolyte with high ionic conductivity and good air stability.

Co-sputtered ZnO:Si thin films as transparent conductive oxides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faure, C. [CNRS, Univ. Bordeaux, ICMCB, UPR 9048, F33600 Pessac (France); Clatot, J. [LRCS, 33 Rue St Leu, F-80039 Amiens (France); Teule-Gay, L.; Campet, G. [CNRS, Univ. Bordeaux, ICMCB, UPR 9048, F33600 Pessac (France); Labrugere, C. [CeCaMA, Universite de Bordeaux, ICMCB, 87 avenue du Dr. A. Schweitzer, Pessac, F-33608 (France); Nistor, M. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasmas and Radiation Physics, L22, PO Box MG-36, 77125 Bucharest-Magurele (Romania); Rougier, A., E-mail: rougier@icmcb-bordeaux.cnrs.fr [CNRS, Univ. Bordeaux, ICMCB, UPR 9048, F33600 Pessac (France)

2012-12-01

Silicon doped Zinc Oxide thin films, so-called SZO, were deposited at room temperature on glass and plastic substrates by co-sputtering of ZnO and SiO{sub 2} targets. The influence of the SiO{sub 2} target power supply (from 30 to 75 W) on the SZO thin film composition and crystallinity is discussed. Si/Zn atomic ratio, determined by X-ray microprobe, increases from 1.2 to 8.2 at.%. For Si/Zn ratio equal and lower than 3.9%, SZO (S{sub 3.9}ZO) thin films exhibit the Wurzite structure with the (0 0 2) preferred orientation. Larger Si content leads to a decrease in crystallinity. With Si addition, the resistivity decreases down to 3.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} Ohm-Sign {center_dot}cm for SZO thin film containing 3.9 at.% of Si prior to an increase. The mean transmittance of S{sub 3.9}ZO thin film on glass substrate approaches 80% (it is about 90% for the film itself) in the visible range (from 400 to 750 nm). Co-sputtered SZO thin films are suitable candidates for large area transparent conductive oxides. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Si doped ZnO thin films by co-sputtering of ZnO and SiO{sub 2} targets. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Minimum of resistivity for Si doped ZnO thin films containing 3.9% of Si. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Si and O environments by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

Indium-free Cu/fluorine doped ZnO composite transparent conductive electrodes with stretchable and flexible performance on poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jun; Gong, Haibo; Yang, Xiaopeng; Qiu, Zhiwen; Zi, Min; Qiu, Xiaofeng; Wang, Hongqiang; Cao, Bingqiang

2015-03-01

Material-abundant ZnO and metal thin film have been proposed as potential alternatives for the most widely commercial indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent and conductive electrode. Yet the deterioration of optical transparency and conductivity for these materials makes them difficult to compete with ITO. In this work, a double-layer structured film-composed of FZO and Cu film is presented at room temperature, which combines the high transparency of FZO and high conductivity of Cu film. We first studied the effect of oxygen pressure on the transparency and conductivity of free-standing FZO layer deposited on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) by PLD method. Also the structural, electrical, and optical properties of bilayers electrode dependence on the Cu layer thickness were optimized in detail. As the Cu layer thickness increases, the resistivity decreases. The lowest resistivity of 6.6 × 10-5 Ω cm with a carrier concentration of 1.11 × 1022 cm-3 and mobility of 8.52 cm2 V-1 s-1 was obtained at the optimum Cu (12 nm) layer thickness. We find that FZO layer have anti-reflection effect for Cu/FZO (250 nm) bilayer in the wavelength range of 650-1000 nm compared with single Cu layer. And we firstly study the stretchable performance for Cu film-based composite electrodes with stretching ratio changing from 0 to 5%. Furthermore, we study excellent mechanical flexibility and stability of composite electrodes by bending test.

Transparent indium-tin oxide/indium-gallium-zinc oxide Schottky diodes formed by gradient oxygen doping

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Szuheng; Yu, Hyeonggeun; So, Franky

2017-11-01

Amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) is promising for transparent electronics due to its high carrier mobility and optical transparency. However, most metal/a-IGZO junctions are ohmic due to the Fermi-level pinning at the interface, restricting their device applications. Here, we report that indium-tin oxide/a-IGZO Schottky diodes can be formed by gradient oxygen doping in the a-IGZO layer that would otherwise form an ohmic contact. Making use of back-to-back a-IGZO Schottky junctions, a transparent IGZO permeable metal-base transistor is also demonstrated with a high common-base gain.

Hydrogen Storage Characteristics of CNT doped NaAlH4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pukazhselvan, D.; Sterlin Leo Hudson, M.; Bipin Kumar Gupta; Srivastava, O.N.

2006-01-01

The current Hydrogen based energy infrastructure required a high energy density consumer friendly hydrogen storage media. Although the desired goals for the hydrogen fueled vehicular transport has not yet met by any hydrogen storage material, complex Sodium Alanate is said to be a promising candidate under this demand due to its high hydrogen storage capacity and the thermodynamically permissible reversible hydrogen storage capacity. However its poor sorption behavior under moderate conditions (NaAlH 4 →Na 3 AlH 6 ; 3.7 wt % vs 50 hrs at ∼170 C and Na 3 AlH 6 →NaH; 1.85 wt % vs 30 hrs at ∼220 C) urges their limited uses in ages. But these limitations can be removed by using catalysts particularly transition elements but the location of catalyst in NaAlH 4 matrix and the possible mechanism is not yet clearly understood. The aim of the present investigation is to improve the overall sorption characteristics of NaAlH 4 by a new light weighted high surface area (1315 sq mtr/gm) material (CNT) admixing and to obtain a best doping level to NaAlH 4 . So far only Ti has been attempted as a suitable catalyst. It is believed that the high surface area of CNT can provide an additional solid-gas (H 2 ) surface/interface and it can produce thermal contact between grains (thermal conductivity Kth of MWCNT: 3000 w/k and Kth of NaAlH 4 : 0.32 w/k) for stimulating their thermally activated dissociation in NaAlH 4 . In parallel with this approach XRD of NaAlH 4 reveals that there was no change in lattice structure after doping by CNT, SEM picture depicts that CNT precipitation in grain surfaces. Catalytic concentration of various mole % of x values finds that x = 8 is the best doping level as it gives 3.3 wt % of hydrogen within 2 hrs. The comparative sorption behavior with Ti:NaAlH 4 also shows CNTs as an optimum alternative catalyst to NaAlH 4 and besides this CNT doped desorbed ingredients shown good re-hydrogenation behavior(3.7 wt % at 8. cycle and 4.2 wt % maximum at

Spectroscopic XPEEM of highly conductive SI-doped GaN wires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Renault, O., E-mail: olivier.renault@cea.fr [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CEA, LETI, MINATEC Campus, F-38054 Grenoble (France); Morin, J. [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CEA, LETI, MINATEC Campus, F-38054 Grenoble (France); Tchoulfian, P. [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CEA, LETI, MINATEC Campus, F-38054 Grenoble (France); CNRS, Inst. NEEL, F-38042 Grenoble (France); Chevalier, N. [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CEA, LETI, MINATEC Campus, F-38054 Grenoble (France); Feyer, V. [Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI-6) and JARA-FIT, Research Center Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany); Pernot, J. [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CNRS, Inst. NEEL, F-38042 Grenoble (France); Institut Universitaire de France, F-75005 Paris (France); Schneider, C.M. [Peter Grünberg Institute (PGI-6) and JARA-FIT, Research Center Jülich, D-52425 Jülich (Germany)

2015-12-15

Using soft X-ray photoelectron emission microscopy (XPEEM), complemented by scanning Auger microscopy (SAM) and scanning capacitance microscopy, we have quantitatively studied the incorporation of silicon and band bending at the surface (m-facet) of an individual, highly conductive Si-doped GaN micro-wires (Tchoulfian et al., Applied Physics Letters 102 (12), 2013). Electrically active n-dopants Si atoms in Ga interstitial sites are detected as nitride bonding states in the high-resolution Si2p core level spectra, and represent only a small fraction (<10%) of the overall Si surface concentration measured by SAM. The derived carrier concentration of 2×10{sup 21} at cm{sup −3} is in reasonable agreement with electrical measurements. A consistent surface band bending of ~1 eV is directly evidenced by surface photo-voltage measurements. Such an approach combining different surface-sensitive microscopies is of interest for studying other heavily doped semiconducting wires. - Highlights: • XPEEM analysis of state-of-the-art, heavily doped GaN wires with insights on the issue of the origin of the increased conductivity. • Combined microscopic approach with Scanning Auger microscopy and X-ray Photoeletron Emission Microscopy, to quantity the electrically active Si-dopants in GaN. • The determined concentration is found in reasonable agreement with the one derived from bulk electrical measurements. • The proposed method is of interest for studying the electronics and chemistry of doping in other heavily doped semiconducting wires.

Aluminum-doped Zn O polycrystalline films prepared by co-sputtering of a Zn O-Al target

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Becerril, M.; Silva L, H.; Guillen C, A.; Zelaya A, O. [Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados, Departamento de Fisica, Apdo. Postal 14-740, 07000 Mexico D. F. (Mexico)

2014-07-01

Aluminum-doped Zinc oxide polycrystalline thin films (Azo) were grown on 7059 Corning glass substrates at room temperature by co-sputtering from a Zn O-Al target. The target was designed as follows, high purity elemental Aluminum was evaporated onto a Zn O target covering small areas. The structural, optical and electrical properties were analyzed as a function of Al content. The Al doped Zn O polycrystalline films showed an n-type conductivity. It was found that the electrical resistivity drops and the carrier concentration increases as a consequence of Al incorporation within the Zn O lattice. In both cases, the changes are of several orders of magnitude. From the results, we conclude that, using these Zn O-Al targets, n-type Al doped Zn O polycrystalline films with high transmittance and low resistivity can be obtained. The crystalline structure of the films was determined by X-ray diffraction. Atomic Force Microscopy images were obtained with an Auto probe C P (Veeco Metrology Group) Microscope. (Author)

Electric conductivity of low-temperature molten electrolyte KF-AlF3 with additions of LiF and Al2O3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Apisarov, A.P.; Kryukovskij, V.A.; Zajkov, Yu.P.; Red'kin, A.A.; Tkacheva, O.Yu.; Khokhlov, V.A.

2007-01-01

Electric conductivity of LiF, Al 2 O 3 doped KF-AlF 3 (Cryolite Ratio CR=1.3) molten electrolytes was estimated on the basis of empiric equations. Specific electric conductivity of KF-AlF 3 , KF-AIF 3 -AI 2 O 3 , KF-AlF 3 -LiF, KF-AlF 3 -LiF-Al 2 0 3 molten mixtures was measured in the range 687-797 Deg C. Cells with the pyrolytic boron nitride capillary and parallel molybdena electrodes were applied for the determination of electric conductivity. Comparison of calculated and experimental data of the specific electric conductivity of cryolite-alumina melts confirms that the offered model of the calculation adequate represents temperature and concentration dependencies, and it permits forecasting its change under the introduction of different additives in electrolyte [ru

Low Reflectivity and High Flexibility of Tin-Doped Indium Oxide Nanofiber Transparent Electrodes

KAUST Repository

Wu, Hui

2011-01-12

Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) has found widespread use in solar cells, displays, and touch screens as a transparent electrode; however, two major problems with ITO remain: high reflectivity (up to 10%) and insufficient flexibility. Together, these problems severely limit the applications of ITO films for future optoelectronic devices. In this communication, we report the fabrication of ITO nanofiber network transparent electrodes. The nanofiber networks show optical reflectivity as low as 5% and high flexibility; the nanofiber networks can be bent to a radius of 2 mm with negligible changes in the sheet resistance. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Reactive-environment, hollow cathode sputtering: Basic characteristics and application to Al2O3, doped ZnO, and In2O3:Mo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delahoy, A.E.; Guo, S.Y.; Paduraru, C.; Belkind, A.

2004-01-01

A method for thin-film deposition has been studied. The method is based on metal sputtering in a hollow cathode configuration with supply of a reactive gas in the vicinity of the substrate. The working gas and entrained sputtered atoms exit the cathode through an elongated slot. The reactive gas is thereby largely prevented from reaching the target. The basic operation of the cathode was studied using a Cu target and pulsed power excitation. These studies included the dependence of deposition rate on power, pressure, and flow rate, film thickness profiles, and film resistivity as a function of substrate conditions. Modeling was conducted to calculate the gas velocity distribution and pressure inside the cavity. Al 2 O 3 films were prepared in a reactive environment of oxygen by sputtering an Al target. It was demonstrated that only a very small amount of oxygen passing through the cathode will oxidize (poison) the target, whereas large quantities of oxygen supplied externally to the cathode need not affect the target at all. A very stable discharge and ease of Al 2 O 3 formation were realized in this latter mode. The method was applied to the preparation of transparent, conductive films of ZnO doped with either Al or B. High deposition rates were achieved, and, at appropriate oxygen flow rates, low film resistivities. High-mobility In 2 O 3 :Mo transparent conductors were also prepared, with resistivities as low as 1.9x10 -4 Ω cm. Scaling relations for hollow cathodes, and deposition efficiency, and process comparisons between magnetron sputtering and linear, reactive-environment, hollow cathode sputtering are presented

A phosphor-free white light-emitting diode using In2O3 : Tb transparent conductive light converter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Lung-Chien; Tien, Ching-Ho; Liao, Wei-Chian

2011-01-01

Tb-doped indium oxide (In 2 O 3 : Tb) films were deposited on a GaN-based near-ultraviolet (NUV) light-emitting diode (LED) as a transparent conductive light converter to form a white LED. The transmittance of the In 2 O 3 : Tb film (Tb at 10 wt%) exceeded 80% in visible light and the resistivity was 0.325 Ω cm. The In 2 O 3 : Tb transparent conductive light converter was also employed on GaN-based LEDs. GaN-based NUV-LEDs with In 2 O 3 : Tb film (Tb at 10 wt%) produced forward biases of 3.42 V at an injection current of 20 mA. With increasing temperature, increasing Tb 3+ concentration and increasing injection current from 20 to 100 mA, the chromaticity coordinates barely changed in the white light area. Therefore, the GaN-based NUV-LED with In 2 O 3 : Tb film had a stable white light colour, when temperature and injection current changed, and is suitable for solid-state lighting.

Epitaxial Sb-doped SnO_2 and Sn-doped In_2O_3 transparent conducting oxide contacts on GaN-based light emitting diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsai, Min-Ying; Bierwagen, Oliver; Speck, James S.

2016-01-01

We demonstrate the growth of epitaxial (100)-oriented, rutile Sb-doped SnO_2 (ATO) and (111)-oriented, cubic Sn-doped In_2O_3 (ITO) transparent conducting oxide (TCO) contacts on top of an InGaN/GaN(0001) light emitting diode (LED) by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). Both oxides form rotational domains. The in-plane epitaxial alignment of the two ITO(111) rotational domains to the GaN(0001) was: GaN [21-10]|| ITO_D_o_m_a_i_n_1[‐ 211]|| ITO_D_o_m_a_i_n_2[‐ 1‐12]. A growth temperature as low as 600 °C was necessary to realize a low contact resistance between ATO and the top p-GaN layer of the LED but resulted in non-optimal resistivity (3.4 × 10"− "3 Ω cm) of the ATO. The current–voltage characteristics of a processed LED, however, were comparable to that of a reference LED with a standard electron-beam evaporated ITO top contact. At short wavelengths, the optical absorption of ATO was lower than that of ITO, which is beneficial even for blue LEDs. Higher PAMBE growth temperatures resulted in lower resistive ATO but higher contact resistance to the GaN, likely by the formation of an insulating Ga_2O_3 interface layer. The ITO contact grown by PAMBE at 600 °C showed extremely low resistivity (10"−"4 Ω cm) and high crystalline and morphological quality. These proof-of-principle results may lead to the development of epitaxial TCO contacts with low resistivity, well-defined interfaces to the p-GaN to help minimize contact losses, and enable further epitaxy on top of the TCO. - Highlights: • Plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy of SnO_2:Sb (ATO) and In_2O_3:Sn (ITO) contacts • Working light emitting diodes processed with the ATO contact on the top p-GaN layer • Low growth temperature ensures low contact resistance (limiting interface reaction). • ITO showed significantly better structural and transport properties than ATO. • ATO showed higher optical transmission at short wavelengths than ITO.

Response of Si- and Al-doped graphenes toward HCN: A computational study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rastegar, Somayeh F.; Peyghan, Ali Ahmadi; Hadipour, Nasser L.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Sensitivity of Si- and Al-doped graphene (SiG and AlG) toward HCN is investigated. ► The electronic properties of AlG are significantly changed in the presence of HCN. ► It is established that AlG can be a good sensor for HCN molecule. - Abstract: Sensitivity of Si- and Al-doped graphenes (SiG and AlG) toward toxic HCN has been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) in terms of energetic, geometric and electronic properties. Optimized configurations corresponding to physisorption and, subsequently, chemisorption of HCN on each surface have been identified. It is found that HCN molecule can be adsorbed on impurity atoms with adsorption energies about −27.20 and −38.75 kcal/mol on the SiG and the AlG, respectively. By comparing to HCN adsorption on SiG, it can be inferred that molecular HCN adsorbed on AlG can induce significant change in AlG conductivity. On the basis of calculated changes in the HOMO/LUMO energy gap it is found that electronic properties of AlG are sensitive toward adsorption of HCN and the reverse is correct for SiG, suggesting that the AlG may be a promising sensor for HCN.

Optoelectronic properties of sprayed transparent and conducting indium doped zinc oxide thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinde, S S; Shinde, P S; Bhosale, C H; Rajpure, K Y

2008-01-01

Indium doped zinc oxide (IZO) thin films are grown onto Corning glass substrates using the spray pyrolysis technique. The effect of doping concentration on the structural, electrical and optical properties of IZO thin films is studied. X-ray diffraction studies show a change in preferential orientation from the (0 0 2) to the (1 0 1) crystal planes with increase in indium doping concentration. Scanning electron microscopy studies show polycrystalline morphology of the films. Based on the Hall-effect measurements and analysis, impurity scattering is found to be the dominant mechanism determining the diminished mobility in ZnO thin films having higher indium concentration. The addition of indium also induces a drastic decrease in the electrical resistivity of films; the lowest resistivity (4.03 x 10 -5 Ω cm) being observed for the film deposited with 3 at% indium doping. The effect of annealing on the film properties has been reported. Films deposited with 3 at% In concentration have relatively low resistivity with 90% transmittance at 550 nm and the highest value of figure of merit 7.9 x 10 -2 □ Ω -1

Hydrogen plasma treatment for improved conductivity in amorphous aluminum doped zinc tin oxide thin films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Morales-Masis

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Improving the conductivity of earth-abundant transparent conductive oxides (TCOs remains an important challenge that will facilitate the replacement of indium-based TCOs. Here, we show that a hydrogen (H2-plasma post-deposition treatment improves the conductivity of amorphous aluminum-doped zinc tin oxide while retaining its low optical absorption. We found that the H2-plasma treatment performed at a substrate temperature of 50 °C reduces the resistivity of the films by 57% and increases the absorptance by only 2%. Additionally, the low substrate temperature delays the known formation of tin particles with the plasma and it allows the application of the process to temperature-sensitive substrates.

Hydrogen plasma treatment for improved conductivity in amorphous aluminum doped zinc tin oxide thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morales-Masis, M., E-mail: monica.moralesmasis@epfl.ch; Ding, L.; Dauzou, F. [Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory (PVLab), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL, Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Jeangros, Q. [Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne (Switzerland); Hessler-Wyser, A. [Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory (PVLab), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL, Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Interdisciplinary Centre for Electron Microscopy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne (Switzerland); Nicolay, S. [Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) SA, Rue Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Ballif, C. [Photovoltaics and Thin-Film Electronics Laboratory (PVLab), Institute of Microengineering (IMT), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne - EPFL, Rue de la Maladière 71b, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland); Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM) SA, Rue Jaquet-Droz 1, CH-2002 Neuchatel (Switzerland)

2014-09-01

Improving the conductivity of earth-abundant transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) remains an important challenge that will facilitate the replacement of indium-based TCOs. Here, we show that a hydrogen (H{sub 2})-plasma post-deposition treatment improves the conductivity of amorphous aluminum-doped zinc tin oxide while retaining its low optical absorption. We found that the H{sub 2}-plasma treatment performed at a substrate temperature of 50 °C reduces the resistivity of the films by 57% and increases the absorptance by only 2%. Additionally, the low substrate temperature delays the known formation of tin particles with the plasma and it allows the application of the process to temperature-sensitive substrates.

Transparent Conductive Adhesives for Tandem Solar Cells Using Polymer-Particle Composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klein, Talysa [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Lee, Benjamin G [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Schnabel, Manuel [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Warren, Emily L [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Stradins, Paul [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Tamboli, Adele C [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Van Hest, Marinus F [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-02-14

Transparent conductive adhesives (TCAs) can enable conductivity between two substrates, which is useful for a wide range of electronic devices. Here, we have developed a TCA composed of a polymer-particle blend with ethylene-vinyl acetate as the transparent adhesive and metal-coated flexible poly(methyl methacrylate) microspheres as the conductive particles that can provide conductivity and adhesion regardless of the surface texture. This TCA layer was designed to be nearly transparent, conductive in only the out-of-plane direction, and of practical adhesive strength to hold the substrates together. The series resistance was measured at 0.3 and 0.8 O cm2 for 8 and 0.2% particle coverage, respectively, while remaining over 92% was transparent in both cases. For applications in photovoltaic devices, such as mechanically stacked multijunction III-V/Si cells, a TCA with 1% particle coverage will have less than 0.5% power loss due to the resistance and less than 1% shading loss to the bottom cell.

Properties of ZnO:Al Films Prepared by Spin Coating of Aged Precursor Solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shrestha, Shankar Prasad; Ghimire, Rishi; Nakarmi, Jeevan Jyoti; Kim, Young Sung; Shrestha, Sabita; Park, Chong Yun; Boo, Jin Hyo

2010-01-01

Transparent conducting undoped and Al impurity doped ZnO films were deposited on glass substrate by spin coat technique using 24 days aged ZnO precursor solution with solution of ethanol and diethanolamine. The films were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), electrical resistivity (ρ), carrier concentration (n), and hall mobility (μ) measurements. XRD data show that the deposited film shows polycrystalline nature with hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferential orientation along (002) crystal plane. The SEM images show that surface morphology, porosity and grain sizes are affected by doping concentration. The Al doped samples show high transmittance and better resistivity. With increasing Al concentration only mild change in optical band gap is observed. Optical properties are not affected by aging of parent solution. A lowest resistivity (8.5 x 10 -2 ohm cm) is observed at 2 atomic percent (at.%) Al. With further increase in Al concentration, the resistivity started to increase significantly. The decrease resistivity with increasing Al concentration can be attributed to increase in both carrier concentration and hall mobility

Experimental evidences for reducing Mg activation energy in high Al-content AlGaN alloy by MgGa δ doping in (AlN)m/(GaN)n superlattice

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiao; Wang, Wei; Wang, Jingli; Wu, Hao; Liu, Chang

2017-03-01

P-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN alloys is a main challenge for realizing AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronics devices. According to the first-principles calculations, Mg activation energy may be reduced so that a high hole concentration can be obtained by introducing nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice (SL) in Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy. In this work, experimental evidences were achieved by analyzing Mg doped high Al-content AlGaN alloys and Mg doped AlGaN SLs as well as MgGa δ doped AlGaN SLs. Mg acceptor activation energy was significantly reduced from 0.378 to 0.331 eV by using MgGa δ doping in SLs instead of traditional doping in alloys. This new process was confirmed to be able to realize high p-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN.

Highly transparent and conductive double-layer oxide thin films as anodes for organic light-emitting diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Yu; Wang Lian; Yan He; Jin Shu; Marks, Tobin J.; Li Shuyou

2006-01-01

Double-layer transparent conducting oxide thin film structures containing In-doped CdO (CIO) and Sn-doped In 2 O 3 (ITO) layers were grown on glass by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition and ion-assisted deposition (IAD), respectively, and used as anodes for polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs). These films have a very low overall In content of 16 at. %. For 180-nm-thick CIO/ITO films, the sheet resistance is 5.6 Ω/□, and the average optical transmittance is 87.1% in the 400-700 nm region. The overall figure of merit (Φ=T 10 /R sheet ) of the double-layer CIO/ITO films is significantly greater than that of single-layer CIO, IAD-ITO, and commercial ITO films. CIO/ITO-based PLEDs exhibit comparable or superior device performance versus ITO-based control devices. CIO/ITO materials have a much lower sheet resistance than ITO, rendering them promising low In content electrode materials for large-area optoelectronic devices

Atomic mapping of Ruddlesden-Popper faults in transparent conducting BaSnO3-based thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, W Y; Tang, Y L; Zhu, Y L; Suriyaprakash, J; Xu, Y B; Liu, Y; Gao, B; Cheong, S-W; Ma, X L

2015-11-03

Doped BaSnO3 has arisen many interests recently as one of the promising transparent conducting oxides for future applications. Understanding the microstructural characteristics are crucial for the exploration of relevant devices. In this paper, we investigated the microstructural features of 0.001% La doped BaSnO3 thin film using both conventional and aberration corrected transmission electron microscopes. Contrast analysis shows high densities of Ruddlesden-Popper faults in the film, which are on {100} planes with translational displacements of 1/2a  . Atomic EELS element mappings reveal that the Ruddlesden-Popper faults are Ba-O layer terminated, and two kinds of kink structures at the Ruddlesden-Popper faults with different element distributions are also demonstrated. Quantitative analysis on lattice distortions of the Ruddlesden-Popper faults illustrates that the local lattice spacing poses a huge increment of 36%, indicating that large strains exist around the Ruddlesden-Popper faults in the film.

Electrochemical Properties of Transparent Conducting Films of Tantalum-Doped Titanium Dioxide

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Krýsová, Hana; Mazzolini, P.; Casari, C. S.; Russo, V.; Li Bassi, A.; Kavan, Ladislav

2017-01-01

Roč. 232, APR 2017 (2017), s. 44-53 ISSN 0013-4686 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA13-07724S Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : titanium dioxide * tantalum doping * electrochemistry Subject RIV: CG - Electrochemistry OBOR OECD: Electrochemistry (dry cells, batteries, fuel cells, corrosion metals, electrolysis) Impact factor: 4.798, year: 2016

Ferromagnetism in Cr-doped passivated AlN nanowires

KAUST Repository

Kanoun, Mohammed; Goumri-Said, Souraya; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

2014-01-01

We apply first principles calculations to predict the effect of Cr doping on the electronic and magnetic properties of passivated AlN nanowires. We compare the energetics of the possible dopant sites and demonstrate the favorable configuration ferromagnetic ordering. The charge density of the pristine passivated AlN nanowires is used to elucidate the bonding character. Spin density maps demonstrate an induced spin polarization for N atoms next to dopant atoms, though most of the magnetism is carried by the Cr atoms. Cr-doped AlN nanowires turn out to be interesting for spintronic devices. © 2014 the Partner Organisations.

Real space pseudopotential calculations for size trends in Ga- and Al-doped zinc oxide nanocrystals with wurtzite and zincblende structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bobbitt, N. Scott; Kim, Minjung [Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States); Sai, Na [Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States); Marom, Noa [Department of Physics and Engineering Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118 (United States); Chelikowsky, James R. [Center for Computational Materials, Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Departments of Physics and Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)

2014-09-07

Zinc oxide is often used as a popular inexpensive transparent conducting oxide. Here, we employ density functional theory and local density approximation to examine the effects of quantum confinement in doped nanocrystals of this material. Specifically, we examine the addition of Ga and Al dopants to ZnO nanocrystals on the order of 1.0 nm. We find that the inclusion of these dopants is energetically less favorable in smaller particles and that the electron binding energy, which is associated with the dopant activation, decreases with the nanocrystal size. We find that the introduction of impurities does not alter significantly the Kohn-Sham eigenspectrum for small nanocrystals of ZnO. The added electron occupies the lowest existing state, i.e., no new bound state is introduced in the gap. We verify this assertion with hybrid functional calculations.

Real space pseudopotential calculations for size trends in Ga- and Al-doped zinc oxide nanocrystals with wurtzite and zincblende structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bobbitt, N. Scott; Kim, Minjung; Sai, Na; Marom, Noa; Chelikowsky, James R.

2014-01-01

Zinc oxide is often used as a popular inexpensive transparent conducting oxide. Here, we employ density functional theory and local density approximation to examine the effects of quantum confinement in doped nanocrystals of this material. Specifically, we examine the addition of Ga and Al dopants to ZnO nanocrystals on the order of 1.0 nm. We find that the inclusion of these dopants is energetically less favorable in smaller particles and that the electron binding energy, which is associated with the dopant activation, decreases with the nanocrystal size. We find that the introduction of impurities does not alter significantly the Kohn-Sham eigenspectrum for small nanocrystals of ZnO. The added electron occupies the lowest existing state, i.e., no new bound state is introduced in the gap. We verify this assertion with hybrid functional calculations

Dosimeter properties of Ce and Eu doped LiCaAlF6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Watanabe, Kenichi; Fukuda, Kentaro

2014-01-01

Optical, scintillation properties, optical stimulated luminescence, and thermally stimulated luminescence of Ce 1, 3, and 5% doped and Eu 1, 1.5, and 2% doped LiCaAlF 6 crystals fabricated by Tokuyama Corp. were investigated. In transmittance, absorption was proportional to dopant concentrations and typical optical quantum yield of Ce and Eu-doped LiCaAlF 6 were 40 and 100%, respectively. Scintillation wavelength and decay time profiles were investigated under X-ray irradiation. Ce 3+ and Eu 2+ 5d-4f luminescence appeared around 300 nm and 370 nm with typical decay time of 40 ns and 1.5 μs, respectively. Optically stimulated luminescence of Ce-doped ones appeared under 405 nm stimulation with detectable intensity while those of Eu doped ones were quite weak. Thermally stimulated luminescence of Ce- and Eu-doped LiCaAlF 6 were enough strong and they exhibited good response function from 1 to 1000 mGy exposure. - Highlights: • Optical, scintillation, OSL, and TSL properties of Ce or Eu differently doped LiCaAlF6 were studied. • PL quantum yield of Ce and Eu doped LiCaAlF6 showed 40% and 100%, respectively. • OSL was observed in Ce-doped LiCaAlF6. • TSL was observed in both material systems and exhibited a good dose response from 1 to 1000 mGy

Ultrathin and stable Nickel films as transparent conductive electrodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grilli, M.L., E-mail: marialuisa.grilli@enea.it [ENEA, Materials Technology Unit, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome (Italy); Di Sarcina, I. [ENEA, Materials Technology Unit, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome (Italy); Bossi, S. [ENEA, Robotics Laboratory, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome (Italy); The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant' Anna, Viale Rinaldo Piaggio 34, 56025 Pontedera, Pisa (Italy); Rinaldi, A.; Pilloni, L.; Piegari, A. [ENEA, Materials Technology Unit, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome (Italy)

2015-11-02

Ultrathin stable transparent conductive nickel films were deposited on quartz substrates by radio frequency sputtering at room temperature. Such films showed visible transmittance up to 80% and conductivity up to 1.8 × 10{sup 4} S/cm, further increased to 2,3 × 10{sup 5} S/cm by incorporation of a micrometric silver grid. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy revealed quite compact, smooth and low surface roughness films. Excellent film stability, ease, fast and low cost process fabrication make these films highly competitive compared to indium tin oxide alternative transparent conductors. Films were characterized regarding their morphological, optical and electrical properties. - Highlights: • Indium-free transparent conductors are proposed. • Ultrathin Ni films are fabricated with a very fast process at room temperature. • Films have conductivity values up to 1.8 × 10{sup 4} S/cm. • Ni ultrathin films are good candidates for UV and NIR optoelectronic applications.

Planar waveguide laser in Er/Al-doped germanosilicate

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guldberg-Kjær, Søren Andreas; Hübner, Jörg; Kristensen, Martin

1999-01-01

A singlemode DBR laser is demonstrated in an Er/Al-doped germanosilicate planar waveguide. 0.4 mW of output power has been obtained at 1.553 mu m using internal Bragg reflectors produced by UV-induced index modulations.......A singlemode DBR laser is demonstrated in an Er/Al-doped germanosilicate planar waveguide. 0.4 mW of output power has been obtained at 1.553 mu m using internal Bragg reflectors produced by UV-induced index modulations....

Preparation of aluminum doped zinc oxide films with low resistivity and outstanding transparency by a sol–gel method for potential applications in perovskite solar cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Xingyue; Shen, Heping; Zhou, Chen [State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics & Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084 (China); Lin, Shiwei [Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Advanced Materials in Tropical Island Resources, Hainan University, Haikou 570228 (China); Li, Xin [State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics & Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084 (China); Zhao, Xiaochong [State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics & Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084 (China); Science and Technology on Surface Physics and Chemistry Laboratory, Mianyang 621907 (China); Deng, Xiangyun [Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Advanced Materials in Tropical Island Resources, Hainan University, Haikou 570228 (China); College of Physics and Electronic Information, Tianjin, Normal University, Tianjin 300387 (China); Li, Jianbao [State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics & Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084 (China); Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Advanced Materials in Tropical Island Resources, Hainan University, Haikou 570228 (China); Lin, Hong [State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics & Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 10084 (China)

2016-04-30

Highly transparent and conductive aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) films were prepared by sol–gel method on the glass substrates. The effects of doping concentration, annealing temperature and facing direction during annealing on the structural, electrical and optical properties of AZO films were studied by performing a series of characterizations including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV–vis spectrophotometry, four-point probe method and Hall effect measurement system. The results showed that the AZO films were wurtzite crystallized with c-axis preferred orientation. A minimum resistivity of 1.8 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm and a transmittance above 90% were obtained for the film doped with 1.5 at.% aluminum, annealed at 510 °C and faced-down in the oven, which was among the best performance of the currently reported works based on sol–gel process. Moreover, energy level analysis revealed that the AZO film has a work function of 4.3 eV, exhibiting great potential in perovskite solar cell applications. - Highlights: • Highly transparent and conductive AZO films were prepared by sol–gel based process. • Different facing directions during annealing had effects on the carrier mobility. • Less aluminum ions at the grain boundary would favor the carrier transport. • The potential of AZO film in the perovskite solar cell application was discussed.

pn junctions based on a single transparent perovskite semiconductor BaSnO3

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hoon Min; Kim, Useong; Park, Chulkwon; Kwon, Hyukwoo; Lee, Woongjae; Kim, Tai Hoon; Kim, Kee Hoon; Char, Kookrin; Mdpl, Department Of Physics; Astronomy Team; Censcmr, Department Of Physics; Astronomy Team

2014-03-01

Successful p doping of transparent oxide semiconductor will further increase its potential, especially in the area of optoelectronic applications. We will report our efforts to dope the BaSnO3 (BSO) with K by pulsed laser deposition. Although the K doped BSO exhibits rather high resistivity at room temperature, its conductivity increases dramatically at higher temperatures. Furthermore, the conductivity decreases when a small amount of oxygen was removed from the film, consistent with the behavior of p type doped oxides. We have fabricated pn junctions by using K doped BSO as a p type and La doped BSO as an n type material. I_V characteristics of these devices show the typical rectifying behavior of pn junctions. We will present the analysis of the junction properties from the temperature dependent measurement of their electrical properties, which shows that the I_V characteristics are consistent with the material parameters such as the carrier concentration, the mobility, and the bandgap. Our demonstration of pn junctions based on a single transparent perovskite semiconductor further enhances the potential of BSO system with high mobility and stability.

Transparent conductive zinc-oxide-based films grown at low temperature by mist chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirahata, Takahiro; Kawaharamura, Toshiyuki; Fujita, Shizuo; Orita, Hiroyuki

2015-01-01

Atmospheric pressure mist chemical vapor deposition (Mist–CVD) systems have been developed to grow zinc-oxide-based (ZnO-based) transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films. Low-resistive aluminum-doped ZnO (AZO) TCOs, showing resistivity of the order on 10"−"4 Ωcm, previously were grown using a safe source material zinc acetate [Zn(ac)_2], at a growth temperature as high as 500 °C. To grow superior TCOs at lower temperatures, we proposed the addition of NH_3 to accelerate the reaction of acetylacetonate compounds. As the result, we could grow gallium-doped ZnO (GZO) TCOs with a resistivity of 2.7 × 10"−"3 Ω cm and transmittance higher than 90% at 300 °C by using zinc acetylacetonate [Zn(acac)_2] as the Zn source. To grow boron-doped ZnO (BZO) TCOs at a lower growth temperature of 200 °C, we used boron doping along with a toluene solution of diethylzinc (DEZ), that maintained high reactivity without being flammable. These BZO TCOs showed a resistivity of 1.5 × 10"−"3 Ω cm and transmittance higher than 90%, despite the use of a non-vacuum-based open-air technology. - Highlights: • Introduction of Mist–CVD as a non-vacuum-based, safe, and cost-effective growth technology • Process evolution of the growth technology to lower the growth temperature. • Achievement of low resistive ZnO films at 200oC.

Transparent conductive zinc-oxide-based films grown at low temperature by mist chemical vapor deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shirahata, Takahiro [New Energy and Environmental Business Division, Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation, Kobe International Business Center (KIBC) 509, 5-5-2 Minatojima-Minami, Chuo-Ku, Kobe 650-0047 (Japan); Kawaharamura, Toshiyuki [Research Institute, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Kochi 780-8502 (Japan); School of Systems Engineering, Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Kochi 780-8502 (Japan); Fujita, Shizuo, E-mail: fujitasz@kuee.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Photonics and Electronics Science and Engineering Center, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8520 (Japan); Orita, Hiroyuki [New Energy and Environmental Business Division, Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation, Kobe International Business Center (KIBC) 509, 5-5-2 Minatojima-Minami, Chuo-Ku, Kobe 650-0047 (Japan)

2015-12-31

Atmospheric pressure mist chemical vapor deposition (Mist–CVD) systems have been developed to grow zinc-oxide-based (ZnO-based) transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films. Low-resistive aluminum-doped ZnO (AZO) TCOs, showing resistivity of the order on 10{sup −4} Ωcm, previously were grown using a safe source material zinc acetate [Zn(ac){sub 2}], at a growth temperature as high as 500 °C. To grow superior TCOs at lower temperatures, we proposed the addition of NH{sub 3} to accelerate the reaction of acetylacetonate compounds. As the result, we could grow gallium-doped ZnO (GZO) TCOs with a resistivity of 2.7 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm and transmittance higher than 90% at 300 °C by using zinc acetylacetonate [Zn(acac){sub 2}] as the Zn source. To grow boron-doped ZnO (BZO) TCOs at a lower growth temperature of 200 °C, we used boron doping along with a toluene solution of diethylzinc (DEZ), that maintained high reactivity without being flammable. These BZO TCOs showed a resistivity of 1.5 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm and transmittance higher than 90%, despite the use of a non-vacuum-based open-air technology. - Highlights: • Introduction of Mist–CVD as a non-vacuum-based, safe, and cost-effective growth technology • Process evolution of the growth technology to lower the growth temperature. • Achievement of low resistive ZnO films at 200oC.

Electronic Conductivity of Doped-Lanthanum Gallate Electrolytes

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaji, Katsuhiko; Xiong, Yue Ping; Kishimoto, Haruo; Horita, Teruhisa; Sakai, Natsuko; Brito, Manuel E.; Yokokawa, Harumi

Electronic conductivity of doped lanthanum gallate electrolytes were determined by using a Hebb-Wagner type polarization cell. Electronic conductivity of cobalt-doped, La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.15Co0.5O3-δ (LSGMC), and non cobalt-doped, La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O2.8 (LSGM8282), were measured as a function of oxygen partial pressures. The electronic conductivity of LSGM8282 showed a linear dependence on p(O2)1/4 in the higher p(O2) region, which is attributed to the electronic hole conductivity. The electronic conductivity of LSGMC showed a linear dependence on p(O2)1/6 in the higher p(O2) region. LSGMC has higher electronic conductivity than LSGM, and the conductivity was not clearly changed with temperatures between 600 and 800 °C. In lower p(O2) region, the electronic conductivity data have poor reproducibility and did not show any dependence on p(O2) because of the degradation of the electrolytes in severe reducing atmospheres.

Structural and critical current properties in Al-doped MgB2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, D.N.; Xiang, J.Y.; Lang, P.L.; Li, J.Q.; Che, G.C.; Zhao, Z.W.; Wen, H.H.; Tian, H.Y.; Ni, Y.M.; Zhao, Z.X.

2004-01-01

A series of Al-doped Mg 1-x Al x B 2 samples have been fabricated and systematic study on structure and superconducting properties have been carried out for the samples. In addition to a structural transition observed by XRD, TEM micrographs showed the existence of a superstructure of double c-axis lattice constant along the direction perpendicular to the boron honeycomb sheet. In order to investigate the effect of Al doping on flux pinning and critical current properties in MgB 2 , measurements on the superconducting transition temperature T c , irreversible field B irr and critical current density J c were performed too, for the samples with the doping levels lower than 0.15 in particular. These experimental observations were discussed in terms of Al doping induced changes in carrier concentration

Structural and critical current properties in Al-doped MgB 2

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, D. N.; Xiang, J. Y.; Lang, P. L.; Li, J. Q.; Che, G. C.; Zhao, Z. W.; Wen, H. H.; Tian, H. Y.; Ni, Y. M.; Zhao, Z. X.

2004-08-01

A series of Al-doped Mg 1- xAl xB 2 samples have been fabricated and systematic study on structure and superconducting properties have been carried out for the samples. In addition to a structural transition observed by XRD, TEM micrographs showed the existence of a superstructure of double c-axis lattice constant along the direction perpendicular to the boron honeycomb sheet. In order to investigate the effect of Al doping on flux pinning and critical current properties in MgB 2, measurements on the superconducting transition temperature Tc, irreversible field Birr and critical current density Jc were performed too, for the samples with the doping levels lower than 0.15 in particular. These experimental observations were discussed in terms of Al doping induced changes in carrier concentration.

Thermopower studies of doped CeAl sub 2 and UAl sub 2

CERN Document Server

Park, J G

1997-01-01

We have studied the thermopower of U doped CeAl sub 2 and Ce and La doped UAl sub 2. Despite different ground state properties of CeAl sub 2 and UAl sub 2 , the former being an antiferromagnetic heavy-fermion compound and the latter non-magnetic, we have found that not only thermopower data for pure CeAl sub 2 and UAl sub 2 are similar but also the thermopower results of doped samples behave similarly. Although the similarity seen in pure systems is yet to be understood, we interpret the doping effects as the results of changes in energy dependent relaxation time with doping. (author)

Transparent solar antenna of 28 GHz using transparent conductive oxides (TCO) thin film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Ali, N I; Misran, N; Mansor, M F; Jamlos, M F

2017-01-01

This paper presents the analysis of 28GHz solar patch antenna using the variations of transparent conductive oxides (TCO) thin film as the radiating patch. Solar antenna is basically combining the function of antenna and solar cell into one device and helps to maximize the usage of surface area. The main problem of the existing solar antenna is the radiating patch which made of nontransparent material, such as copper, shadowing the solar cell and degrades the total solar efficiency. Hence, by using the transparent conductive oxides (TCO) thin film as the radiating patch, this problem can be tackled. The TCO thin film used is varied to ITO, FTO, AgHT-4, and AgHT-8 along with glass as substrate. The simulation of the antenna executed by using Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio software demonstrated at 28 GHz operating frequency for 5G band applications. The performance of the transparent antennas is compared with each other and also with the nontransparent patch antenna that using Rogers RT5880 as substrate, operating at the same resonance frequency and then, the material that gives the best performance is identified. (paper)

Transparent solar antenna of 28 GHz using transparent conductive oxides (TCO) thin film

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, N. I. Mohd; Misran, N.; Mansor, M. F.; Jamlos, M. F.

2017-05-01

This paper presents the analysis of 28GHz solar patch antenna using the variations of transparent conductive oxides (TCO) thin film as the radiating patch. Solar antenna is basically combining the function of antenna and solar cell into one device and helps to maximize the usage of surface area. The main problem of the existing solar antenna is the radiating patch which made of nontransparent material, such as copper, shadowing the solar cell and degrades the total solar efficiency. Hence, by using the transparent conductive oxides (TCO) thin film as the radiating patch, this problem can be tackled. The TCO thin film used is varied to ITO, FTO, AgHT-4, and AgHT-8 along with glass as substrate. The simulation of the antenna executed by using Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio software demonstrated at 28 GHz operating frequency for 5G band applications. The performance of the transparent antennas is compared with each other and also with the nontransparent patch antenna that using Rogers RT5880 as substrate, operating at the same resonance frequency and then, the material that gives the best performance is identified.

An optically transparent, flexible, patterned and conductive silk biopolymer film (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Umar, Muhammad; Min, Kyungtaek; Kim, Sunghwan

2017-02-01

Transparent, flexible, and conducting films are of great interest for wearable electronics. For better biotic/abiotic interface, the films to integrate the electronics components requires the patterned surface conductors with optical transparency, smoothness, good electrical conductivity, along with the biofriendly traits of films. We focus on silk fibroin, a natural biopolymer extracted from the Bombyx mori cocoons, for this bioelectronics applications. Here we report an optically transparent, flexible, and patterned surface conductor on a silk film by burying a silver nanowires (AgNW) network below the surface of the silk film. The conducting silk film reveals high optical transparency of 80% and the excellent electronic conductivity of 15 Ω/sq, along with smooth surface. The integration of light emitting diode (LED) chip on the patterned electrodes confirms that the current can flow through the transparent and patterned electrodes on the silk film, and this result shows an application for integration of functional electronic/opto-electronic devices. Additionally, we fabricate a transparent and flexible radio frequency (RF) antenna and resistor on a silk film and apply these as a food sensor by monitoring the increasing resistance by the flow of gases from the spoiled food.

New Transparent Laser-Drilled Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide covered Quartz Electrodes for Photo-Electrochemical Water Splitting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hernández, Simelys; Tortello, Mauro; Sacco, Adriano; Quaglio, Marzia; Meyer, Toby; Bianco, Stefano; Saracco, Guido; Pirri, C. Fabrizio; Tresso, Elena

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A new transparent, conductive and porous electrode was developed. • It has a high effective surface area available for catalyst molecules attachment. • It is an ideal support for testing new anodic and cathodic photoactive materials. • The proof-of-concept was achieved in an appositely designed water photo-electrolyzer. • The EIS technique was used as a very powerful tool to characterize the new designed electrode. - Abstract: A new-designed transparent, conductive and porous electrode was developed for application in a compact laboratory-scale proton exchange membrane (PEM) photo-electrolyzer. The electrode is made of a thin transparent quartz sheet covered with fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), in which an array of holes is laser-drilled to allow water and gas permeation. The electrical, morphological, optical and electrochemical characterization of the drilled electrodes is presented in comparison with a non-drilled one. The drilled electrode exhibits, in the visible region, a good transmittance (average value of 62%), a noticeable reflectance due to the light scattering effect of the hole-drilled internal region, and a higher effective surface area than the non-drilled electrode. The proof-of-concept of the applicability of the drilled electrode was achieved by using it as a support for a traditional photocatalyst (i.e. commercial TiO 2 nanoparticles). The latter, coupled with a polymeric electrolyte membrane (i.e.Nafion 117) and a Pt counter electrode, forms a transparent membrane electrode assembly (MEA), with a good conductivity, wettability and porosity. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used as a very powerful tool to gain information on the real active surface of the new drilled electrode and the main electrochemical parameters driving the charge transfer reactions on it. This new electrode architecture is demonstrated to be an ideal support for testing new anodic and cathodic photoactive

Flexible Al-doped ZnO films grown on PET substrates using linear facing target sputtering for flexible OLEDs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Jin-A; Shin, Hyun-Su; Choi, Kwang-Hyuk; Kim, Han-Ki

2010-01-01

We report the characteristics of flexible Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films prepared by a plasma damage-free linear facing target sputtering (LFTS) system on PET substrates for use as a flexible transparent conducting electrode in flexible organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The electrical, optical and structural properties of LFTS-grown flexible AZO electrodes were investigated as a function of dc power. We obtained a flexible AZO film with a sheet resistance of 39 Ω/□ and an average transmittance of 84.86% in the visible range although it was sputtered at room temperature without activation of the Al dopant. Due to the effective confinement of the high-density plasma between the facing AZO targets, the AZO film was deposited on the PET substrate without plasma damage and substrate heating caused by bombardment of energy particles. Moreover, the flexible OLED fabricated on the AZO/PET substrate showed performance similar to the OLED fabricated on a ITO/PET substrate in spite of a lower work function. This indicates that LFTS is a promising plasma damage-free and low-temperature sputtering technique for deposition of flexible and indium-free AZO electrodes for use in cost-efficient flexible OLEDs.

Effect of Al doping on phase formation and thermal stability of iron nitride thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tayal, Akhil [Amity Center for Spintronic Materials, Amity University, Sector 125, Noida 201 303 (India); Gupta, Mukul, E-mail: mgupta@csr.res.in [Amity Center for Spintronic Materials, Amity University, Sector 125, Noida 201 303 (India); Pandey, Nidhi [Amity Center for Spintronic Materials, Amity University, Sector 125, Noida 201 303 (India); Gupta, Ajay [UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, University Campus, Khandwa Road, Indore 452 001 (India); Horisberger, Michael [Laboratory for Developments and Methods, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Stahn, Jochen [Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland)

2015-11-25

In the present work, we systematically studied the effect of Al doping on the phase formation of iron nitride (Fe–N) thin films. Fe–N thin films with different concentration of Al (Al = 0, 2, 3, 6, and 12 at.%) were deposited using dc magnetron sputtering by varying the nitrogen partial pressure between 0 and 100%. The structural and magnetic properties of the films were studied using x-ray diffraction and polarized neutron reflectivity. It was observed that at the lowest doping level (2 at.% of Al), nitrogen rich non-magnetic Fe–N phase gets formed at a lower nitrogen partial pressure as compared to the un-doped sample. Interestingly, we observed that as Al doping is increased beyond 3 at.%, nitrogen rich non-magnetic Fe–N phase appears at higher nitrogen partial pressure as compared to un-doped sample. The thermal stability of films were also investigated. Un-doped Fe–N films deposited at 10% nitrogen partial pressure possess poor thermal stability. Doping of Al at 2 at.% improves it marginally, whereas, for 3, 6 and 12 at.% Al doping, it shows significant improvement. The obtained results have been explained in terms of thermodynamics of Fe–N and Al–N. - Highlights: • Doping effects of Al on Fe–N phase formation is studied. • Phase formation shows a non-monotonic behavior with Al doping. • Low doping levels of Al enhance and high levels retard the nitridation process. • Al doping beyond 3 at.% improve thermal stability of Fe–N films.

Organic light-emitting diodes using novel embedded al gird transparent electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Cuiyun; Chen, Changbo; Guo, Kunping; Tian, Zhenghao; Zhu, Wenqing; Xu, Tao; Wei, Bin

2017-03-01

This work demonstrates a novel transparent electrode using embedded Al grids fabricated by a simple and cost-effective approach using photolithography and wet etching. The optical and electrical properties of Al grids versus grid geometry have been systematically investigated, it was found that Al grids exhibited a low sheet resistance of 70 Ω □-1 and a light transmission of 69% at 550 nm with advantages in terms of processing conditions and material cost as well as potential to large scale fabrication. Indium Tin Oxide-free green organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) based on Al grids transparent electrodes was demonstrated, yielding a power efficiency >15 lm W-1 and current efficiency >39 cd A-1 at a brightness of 2396 cd m-2. Furthermore, a reduced efficiency roll-off and higher brightness have been achieved compared with ITO-base device.

Bifunctional behavior of Er3+ ions as the sintering additive and the fluorescent agent in Er3+ single doped γ-AlON transparent ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Ying; Xie, Xiumin; Qi, Jianqi; Wang, Shanshan; Wei, Nian; Lu, Zhongwen; Chen, Xingtao; Lu, Tiecheng

2016-01-01

We report on the sintering promoting and fluorescent activator roles of Er 3+ in AlON:Er 3+ transparent ceramics prepared by pressureless sintering with Er 2 O 3 and AlON powder. There shows that the transparency of samples varied with the content of Er 2 O 3 additive. The AlON:Er 3+ ceramics showed upconversion luminescence peaking at 546 nm, 662 nm and 840 nm under the 980 nm excitation due to transition of 4 S 3/2 / 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 , 4 F 9/2 → 4 I 15/2 and 4 S 3/2 / 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 13/2 of Er 3+ ions, respectively. The infrared spectra exhibited strong emission at 1534 nm corresponds to 4 I 13/2 → 4 I 15/2 transition. The mechanism of the IR and visible emission bands in AlON:Er 3+ ceramics are discussed, which suggest it should be attractive for lighting and display devices applications.

Recent Development of Nanomaterial-Doped Conductive Polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Asyraf, Mohammad; Anwar, Mahmood; Sheng, Law Ming; Danquah, Michael K.

2017-12-01

Conductive polymers (CPs) have received significant research attention in material engineering for applications in microelectronics, micro-scale sensors, electromagnetic shielding, and micro actuators. Numerous research efforts have been focused on enhancing the conductivity of CPs by doping. Various conductive materials, such as metal nanoparticles and carbon-based nanoparticles, and structures, such as silver nanoparticles and graphene nanosheets, have been converted into polypyrrole and polypyrrole compounds as the precursors to developing hybrids, conjugates, or crystal nodes within the matrix to enhance the various structural properties, particularly the electrical conductivity. This article reviews nanomaterial doping of conductive polymers alongside technological advancements in the development and application of nanomaterial-doped polymeric systems. Emphasis is given to conductive nanomaterials such as nano-silver particles and carbon-based nanoparticles, graphene nano-sheets, fullerene, and carbon nanotubes (CNT) as dopants for polypyrrole-based CPs. The nature of induced electrical properties including electromagnetic absorption, electrical capacitance, and conductivities of polypyrrole systems is also discussed. The prospects and challenges associated with the development and application of CPs are also presented.

Magnesium doping on brownmillerite Ca2FeAlO5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malveiro, J.; Ramos, T.; Ferreira, L.P.; Waerenborgh, J.C.; Nunes, M.R.; Godinho, M.; Carvalho, M.D.

2007-01-01

Ca 2 FeAl 1- x Mg x O 5 (x=0, 0.05 and 0.1) compounds adopting the brownmillerite-type structure were prepared by a self-combustion route using two different fuels. Characterisation was performed using X-ray powder diffraction, Moessbauer spectroscopy, magnetisation measurements, chemical analysis, scanning electron microscopy and 4-point dc conductivity measurements. Global results indicate that the solubility limit was reached for x=0.1. An antiferromagnetic behaviour was detected for all studied compositions, with magnetic ordering temperatures of 340 and 290 K for x=0 and 0.05, respectively. Mg doping increases the number of iron cations in tetrahedral sites, which induces magnetisation enhancement at low temperatures through the coupling between octahedral iron cations in different octahedral planes. The compounds exhibit semiconductor behaviour and Mg 2+ doping yields a significant enhancement of the total conductivity, which can be essentially attributed to the presence of Fe 4+ ions. - Graphical abstract: Ca 2 FeAl 1- x Mg x O 5 (x=0, 0.05, 0.1) compounds with the brownmillerite structure were prepared and characterised. The paramagnetic Moessbauer spectra presented were obtained at T=363 K (x=0); T=297 K (x=0.05) and T=353 K (x=0.1)

Room temperature transparent conducting magnetic oxide (TCMO properties in heavy ion doped oxide semiconductor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juwon Lee

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Bismuth doped ZnO (ZnBi0.03O0.97 thin films are grown using pulsed laser deposition. The existence of positively charged Bi, absence of metallic zinc and the Zn-O bond formation in Bi doped ZnO are confirmed using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS. Temperature dependent resistivity and UV-visible absorption spectra show lowest resistivity with 8.44 × 10-4 Ω cm at 300 K and average transmittance of 93 % in the visible region respectively. The robust ferromagnetic signature is observed at 350 K (7.156 × 10-4 emu/g. This study suggests that Bi doped ZnO films should be a potential candidate for spin based optoelectronic applications.

Effect of hydrogen doping on the properties of Al and F co-doped ZnO films for thin film silicon solar cell applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Fang-Hsing, E-mail: fansen@dragon.nchu.edu.tw; Yang, Tung-Hsin

2016-04-30

Aluminum and fluorine co-doped zinc oxide (AFZO) thin films were prepared in Ar + H{sub 2} atmospheres by rf magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the prepared films were investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Hall-effect measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet–visible spectrometry, and their dependence on deposition atmosphere (i.e. H{sub 2} / (H{sub 2} + Ar) ratio) was studied. The resulting films showed a (0 0 2) diffraction peak, indicating a typical wurtzite structure, and the optimal film crystallinity was obtained with the H{sub 2} / (H{sub 2} + Ar) ratio of 3%. The electrical resistivity of AFZO films decreased to 9.16 × 10{sup −4} Ω-cm, which was lower than ZnO:Al and ZnO:F films due to double doping effect of Al and F. The resistivity further decreased to below 5 × 10{sup −4} Ω-cm for the AFZO film with the H{sub 2} / (H{sub 2} + Ar) ratio of 3%–5%. All the films regardless of hydrogen content displayed high transmittances (> 92%) in the visible wavelength range. Applying the developed AFZO films as front transparent electrodes, amorphous Si thin film solar cells were fabricated and the open-circuit voltage, fill factor, and efficiency of the cell with the hydrogenated AFZO film were improved in contrast to those without the hydrogenated film. - Highlights: • H{sub 2} doping improves optoelectronic properties of Al, F co-doped ZnO (AFZO) films. • Resistivity of AFZO films decreases to 4.4 × 10{sup −4} Ω-cm with the 3% H{sub 2}/(Ar + H{sub 2}) ratio. • AFZO films show high average visible transmittances of above 92%. • Efficiency of a-Si thin film solar cells is improved by AFZO:H as front electrode.

Tunable optical properties of some rare earth elements-doped mayenite Ca12Al14O33 nanopowders elaborated by oxalate precursor route

Science.gov (United States)

Rashad, Mohamed M.; Mostafa, Ahmed G.; Mwakikunga, Bonex W.; Rayan, Diaa A.

2017-01-01

Rare earth (RE) ions-doped mayenite Ca12Al14- x RE x O33 nanopowders (where RE = La and Gd and x = 0-1.0) were synthesized using the oxalate precursor technique. The as-prepared precursors were calcined at 800 °C for 2 h. Obviously, all RE-doped Ca12Al14- x RE x O33 possessed a well-crystalline cubic mayenite phase till RE content of 0.8. The crystallo-chemical aspects including crystallite size, lattice parameters, theoretical X-ray density and bulk density were robustly on RE nature and ratio. The microstructure and the average grain size were significantly influenced by the RE kind and content. The high transparency of Ca12Al14- x RE x O33 over 80% was found to be evinced in the visible wavelength range of 400-800 nm. Besides, the incorporation of RE cation minimized the direct band gap energy from 4.42 eV for pure mayenite to 3.85 and 3.59 eV with x value 1.0 of La3+ and Gd3+ ions. The photoluminescence spectra of pure mayenite nanoparticles showed that the band edge emission ( λ exc = 248 nm) with an intense visible emission band at 360 nm was detected. Otherwise, the band edge emission showed a slight shift toward short wavelength due to the substitution Al3+ by RE3+ ions. Such results open a new avenue for application of mayenite as a good candidate for transparent low-temperature electron conductor for optoelectronics applications.

Oxygen-doped zirconium nitride based transparent resistive random access memory devices fabricated by radio frequency sputtering method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hee-Dong; Yun, Min Ju; Kim, Kyeong Heon; Kim, Sungho

2016-01-01

In this work, we present a feasibility of bipolar resistive switching (RS) characteristics for Oxygen-doped zirconium nitride (O-doped ZrN_x) films, produced by sputtering method, which shows a high optical transmittance of approximately 78% in the visible region as well as near ultra-violet region. In addition, in a RS test, the device has a large current ratio of 5 × 10"3 in positive bias region and 5 × 10"5 in negative bias region. Then, to evaluate an ability of data storage for the proposed memory devices, we measured a retention time for 10"4 s at room temperature (RT) and 85 °C as well. As a result, the set and reset states were stably maintained with a current ratio of ∼10"2 at 85 °C to ∼10"3 at RT. This result means that the transparent memory by controlling the working pressure during sputtering process to deposit the ZrN_x films could be a milestone for future see-through electronic devices. - Highlights: • The resistive switching characteristics of the transparent O-doped ZrN_x-based RRAM cells have investigated. • Oxygen doping concentration within ZrN_x is optimized using working pressure of sputter. • Long retention time were observed.

Effects of pressure and temperature on sintering of Cr-doped Al2O3 by pulsed electric current sintering process

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, K. Q.; Nanko, M.

2011-03-01

The aluminium oxide crystal, Al2O3, which contains a small amount of chromium, Cr, is called ruby. Pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) was applied to sinter ruby polycrystals. Cr2O3-Al2O3 powder mixture prepared by drying an aqueous slurry containing amounts of Al2O3 and Cr(NO3)3 was consolidated by PECS process. The PECS process was performed in vacuum at sintering temperature raging from 1100 to 1300°C with heating rate of 2 K/min under applied uniaxial pressure varied from 40 to 100 MPa. This study found that highly densified and transparent Cr-doped Al2O3 can be obtained by the PECS process with the high applied pressure at sintering temperature of 1200°C.

Transparent conductive p-type lithium-doped nickel oxide thin films deposited by pulsed plasma deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yanwei; Zhang, Qun; Xi, Junhua; Ji, Zhenguo

2012-07-01

Transparent p-type Li0.25Ni0.75O conductive thin films were prepared on conventional glass substrates by pulsed plasma deposition. The effects of substrate temperature and oxygen pressure on structural, electrical and optical properties of the films were investigated. The electrical resistivity decreases initially and increases subsequently as the substrate temperature increases. As the oxygen pressure increases, the electrical resistivity decreases monotonically. The possible physical mechanism was discussed. And a hetero p-n junction of p-Li0.25Ni0.75O/n-SnO2:W was fabricated by depositing n-SnO2:W on top of the p-Li0.25Ni0.75O, which exhibits typical rectifying current-voltage characteristics.

Transparent conductive p-type lithium-doped nickel oxide thin films deposited by pulsed plasma deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Yanwei; Zhang Qun; Xi Junhua; Ji Zhenguo

2012-01-01

Transparent p-type Li 0.25 Ni 0.75 O conductive thin films were prepared on conventional glass substrates by pulsed plasma deposition. The effects of substrate temperature and oxygen pressure on structural, electrical and optical properties of the films were investigated. The electrical resistivity decreases initially and increases subsequently as the substrate temperature increases. As the oxygen pressure increases, the electrical resistivity decreases monotonically. The possible physical mechanism was discussed. And a hetero p-n junction of p-Li 0.25 Ni 0.75 O/n-SnO 2 :W was fabricated by depositing n-SnO 2 :W on top of the p-Li 0.25 Ni 0.75 O, which exhibits typical rectifying current-voltage characteristics.

Highly Conductive Transparent and Flexible Electrodes Including Double-Stacked Thin Metal Films for Transparent Flexible Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jun Hee; Kim, Do-Hong; Jeong, Eun Gyo; Lee, Tae-Woo; Lee, Myung Keun; Park, Jeong Woo; Lee, Hoseung; Choi, Kyung Cheol

2017-05-17

To keep pace with the era of transparent and deformable electronics, electrode functions should be improved. In this paper, an innovative structure is suggested to overcome the trade-off between optical and electrical properties that commonly arises with transparent electrodes. The structure of double-stacked metal films showed high conductivity (electronics are expected.

Thermal conductivity of InAs quantum dot stacks using AlAs strain compensating layers on InP substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salman, S.; Folliot, H.; Le Pouliquen, J.; Chevalier, N.; Rohel, T.; Paranthoën, C.; Bertru, N.; Labbé, C.; Letoublon, A.; Le Corre, A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The thermal conductivity of InAs on InP (1 1 3)B quantum dots stacks is measured. ► The growth of a close stack of 100 layers of InAs using AlAs strain compensating layers is presented. ► New data on the thermal conductivity of InP n-doped susbtrate are given. - Abstract: The growth and thermal conductivity of InAs quantum dot (QD) stacks embedded in GaInAs matrix with AlAs compensating layers deposited on (1 1 3)B InP substrate are presented. The effect of the strain compensating AlAs layer is demonstrated through Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction structural analysis. The thermal conductivity (2.7 W/m K at 300 K) measured by the 3ω method reveals to be clearly reduced in comparison with a bulk InGaAs layer (5 W/m K). In addition, the thermal conductivity measurements of S doped InP substrates and the SiN insulating layer used in the 3ω method in the 20–200 °C range are also presented. An empirical law is proposed for the S doped InP substrate, which slightly differs from previously presented results.

Transparent conductive ZnO layers on polymer substrates: Thin film deposition and application in organic solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dosmailov, M. [Institute of Applied Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, A-4040 Linz (Austria); Leonat, L.N. [Linz Institute for Organic Solar Cells (LIOS)/Institute of Physical Chemistry, Johannes Kepler University Linz, A-4040 Linz (Austria); Patek, J. [Institute of Applied Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, A-4040 Linz (Austria); Roth, D.; Bauer, P. [Institute of Experimental Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, A-4040 Linz (Austria); Scharber, M.C.; Sariciftci, N.S. [Linz Institute for Organic Solar Cells (LIOS)/Institute of Physical Chemistry, Johannes Kepler University Linz, A-4040 Linz (Austria); Pedarnig, J.D., E-mail: johannes.pedarnig@jku.at [Institute of Applied Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, A-4040 Linz (Austria)

2015-09-30

Aluminum doped ZnO (AZO) and pure ZnO thin films are grown on polymer substrates by pulsed-laser deposition and the optical, electrical, and structural film properties are investigated. Laser fluence, substrate temperature, and oxygen pressure are varied to obtain transparent, conductive, and stoichiometric AZO layers on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) that are free of cracks. At low fluence (1 J/cm{sup 2}) and low pressure (10{sup −3} mbar), AZO/PET samples of high optical transmission in the visible range, low electrical sheet resistance, and high figure of merit (FOM) are produced. AZO films on fluorinated ethylene propylene have low FOM. The AZO films on PET substrates are used as electron transport layer in inverted organic solar cell devices employing P3HT:PCBM as photovoltaic polymer-fullerene bulk heterojunction. - Highlights: • Aluminum doped and pure ZnO thin films are grown on polyethylene terephthalate. • Growth parameters laser fluence, temperature, and gas pressure are optimized. • AZO films on PET have high optical transmission and electrical conductance (FOM). • Organic solar cells on PET using AZO as electron transport layer are made. • Power conversion efficiency of these OSC devices is measured.

Structure and Properties of Al and Ga- Doped ZnO

Science.gov (United States)

Temizer, Namik Kemal

Recently there is tremendous interest in Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) research due to the unlimited and exciting application areas. Current research is mostly focused on finding alternative low cost and sustainable materials in order to replace indium tin oxide (ITO), which caused serious concern due to the increasing cost of indium and chemical stability issues of ITO. The primary aim of this research is to develop alternative TCO materials with superior properties in order to increase the efficiency in optoelectronic applications, as well as to study the properties of these materials to fully characterize them. We have grown Al and Ga-doped ZnO films with an optimized composition under different deposition conditions in order to understand the effect of processing parameters on the film properties. We report a detailed investigation on the structure-property correlations in Ga and Al codoped ZnO films on c-sapphire substrates where the thin film microstructure varies from nanocrystalline to single crystal. We have achieved highly epitaxial films with very high optical transmittance (close to 90%) and low resistivity (˜110muO-cm) values. The films grown in an ambient oxygen partial pressure (PO2 ) of 50 mTorr and at growth temperatures from room temperature to 600°C showed semiconducting behavior, whereas samples grown at a Po2 of 1 mTorr showed metallic nature. The most striking feature is the occurrence of resistivity minima at relatively high temperatures around 110 K in films deposited at high temperatures. The structure-property correlations reveal that point defects play an important role in modifying the structural, optical, electrical and magnetic properties and such changes in physical properties are controlled predominantly by the defect content. To gain a better understanding of the conduction processes in doped ZnO thin films, we have studied the temperature variation of resistivity of some selected samples that showed some interesting behavior

ZnO and Al doped ZnO thin films deposited by Spray Plasma: Effect of the growth time and Al doping on microstructural, optical and electrical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baba, Kamal; Lazzaroni, Claudia; Nikravech, Mehrdad

2015-01-01

Nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) and Al doped ZnO (ZnO:Al) thin films are deposited on glass substrate by the Spray Plasma technique. Zinc nitrate and aluminium nitrate are used as Zn and Al precursors, respectively. The effect of the growth time on structural and optical properties of undoped films is studied by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The effect of Al doping on microstructural, optical and electrical characteristics of ZnO:Al films is also investigated. The results show that the grain size and the film thickness both increase with the growth time. The band gap of the layers varies from 3.17 to 3.24 eV depending on the thickness. The increase of the Al doping results in the enlargement of the peak (002) and the shift of its position to higher 2θ values. Average optical transmittance decreases from 90 to 65% with the growth time because of the thickness increase while there is no significant influence of the aluminium doping on the transmittance which is above 80% in most of the visible and near-IR range for all ZnO:Al films. The electrical properties characterized by Hall measurements show that all the deposited films exhibit high resistivity, between 4 and 10 4 Ω cm. The carrier concentration decreases from 2.10 19 to 2.10 13 cm −3 when the concentration of Al increases from 1.5 to 5 atm%. - Highlights: • The original Spray Plasma technique is used for ZnO and ZnO:Al thin film deposition. • Investigation of the effect of growth time and Al doping on the structural and optical properties • Increase of grain size and film thickness with the growth time • Optical transmittance decreases from 90 to 65% with the growth time and is above 80% for ZnO:Al films in UV–Vis-NIR range. • The peak position of the (002) plane is shifted to high 2θ values with Al doping.

Structure and characterization of Sn, Al co-doped zinc oxide thin films prepared by sol–gel dip-coating process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Min-I [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan (China); Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS - UMR STMR 6279, Université de Technologie de Troyes (France); Huang, Mao-Chia [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan (China); Legrand, David [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan (China); Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS - UMR STMR 6279, Université de Technologie de Troyes (France); Lerondel, Gilles [Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d' Instrumentation Optique, Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS - UMR STMR 6279, Université de Technologie de Troyes (France); Lin, Jing-Chie, E-mail: jclin4046@gmail.com [Institute of Materials Science and Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan (China)

2014-11-03

Transparent conductive zinc oxide co-doped with tin and aluminum (TAZO) thin films were prepared via sol–gel dip-coating process. Non-toxic ethanol was used in this study instead of 2-methoxyethanol used in conventional work. Dip-coating was repeated several times to obtain relatively thick films consisting of six layers. The films were then annealed at 500 °C for 1 h in air or in vacuum and not subsequently as employed in other studies. The X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that all the samples revealed a single phase of hexagonal ZnO polycrystalline structure with a main peak of (002). The optical band gap and resistivity of the TAZO films were in the ranges of 3.28 to 3.32 eV and 0.52 to 575.25 Ω cm, respectively. The 1.0 at.% Sn, 1.0 at.% Al co-doped ZnO thin film annealed in vacuum was found to have a better photoelectrochemical performance with photocurrent density of about 0.28 mA/cm{sup 2} at a bias of 0.5 V vs. SCE under a 300 W Xe lamp illumination with the intensity of 100 mW/cm{sup 2}. Compared to the same dopant concentration but annealed in air (∼ 0.05 mA/cm{sup 2} bias 0.5 V vs. SCE), the photocurrent density of the film annealed in vacuum was 5 times higher than the film annealed in air. Through electrochemical measurements, we found that the dopant concentration of Sn plays an important role in TAZO that affected photocurrent density, stability of water splitting and anti-corrosion. - Highlights: • Al, Sn co-doped ZnO (TAZO) films was synthesized by sol–gel process. • The parameters of TAZO films were dopant concentration and annealed ambient. • The photoelectrochemical characteristics of TAZO films were investigated.

Studies on e-beam deposited transparent conductive films of In/sub 2/O/sub 3/ - Sn at moderate substrate temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agnihotry, S.A.; Saini, K.K.; Saxena, T.K.; Nagpal, K.C.; Chandra, S.

1985-10-01

An electron beam evaporation method is used to prepare In/sub 2/O/sub 3/ films with and without Sn doping. It is shown that highly transparent and conducting films can be prepared at substrate temperature as low as 200 C. The characteristic feature of such films is their high carrier density and high infrared reflectivity. The lowest resistivity is found to be 0.00024 ohm cm with a carrier concentration of 8 x 10 to the 20th per cu cm and mobility of about 30 per cm/V s at the doping level of 4 mol percent SnO/sub 2/. These polycrystalline films show a highly preferred orientation. On the basis of Hall measurements and structural data, sources of scattering in these films are suggested. 29 references.

Al-doped ZnO nanofilms: Synthesis and characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huczko, A.; Dabrowska, A. [Department of Chemistry, Warsaw University, Warsaw (Poland); Madhup, D.K. [Department of Physics, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel (Nepal); College of Biomedical Engineering and Applied Sciences, Hadigaun, Kathmandu (Nepal); Subedi, D.P.; Chimouriya, S.P. [Department of Physics, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel (Nepal)

2010-12-15

Al-doped and un-doped ZnO nanofilms on quartz substrate were obtained by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis of salt solutions (mole concentration of Al within 0-10%). The films were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and UV spectroscopy to study the morphology and optical properties. The optical studies showed that the increase in Al within ZnO thin layer increases its band gap energy. The obtained value of band gap energy is very close to the determined oscillation energy. However, the dispersion energy is nearly half of band gap energy value. (Copyright copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Non-vacuum, single-step conductive transparent ZnO patterning by ultra-short pulsed laser annealing of solution-deposited nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Daeho; Pan, Heng; Kim, Eunpa; Grigoropoulos, Costas P. [University of California, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Berkeley, CA (United States); Ko, Seung Hwan [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Park, Hee K. [AppliFlex LLC, Sunnyvale, CA (United States)

2012-04-15

A solution-processable, high-concentration transparent ZnO nanoparticle (NP) solution was successfully synthesized in a new process. A highly transparent ZnO thin film was fabricated by spin coating without vacuum deposition. Subsequent ultra-short-pulsed laser annealing at room temperature was performed to change the film properties without using a blanket high temperature heating process. Although the as-deposited NP thin film was not electrically conductive, laser annealing imparted a large conductivity increase and furthermore enabled selective annealing to write conductive patterns directly on the NP thin film without a photolithographic process. Conductivity enhancement could be obtained by altering the laser annealing parameters. Parametric studies including the sheet resistance and optical transmittance of the annealed ZnO NP thin film were conducted for various laser powers, scanning speeds and background gas conditions. The lowest resistivity from laser-annealed ZnO thin film was about 4.75 x 10{sup -2} {omega} cm, exhibiting a factor of 10{sup 5} higher conductivity than the previously reported furnace-annealed ZnO NP film and is even comparable to that of vacuum-deposited, impurity-doped ZnO films within a factor of 10. The process developed in this work was applied to the fabrication of a thin film transistor (TFT) device that showed enhanced performance compared with furnace-annealed devices. A ZnO TFT performance test revealed that by just changing the laser parameters, the solution-deposited ZnO thin film can also perform as a semiconductor, demonstrating that laser annealing offers tunability of ZnO thin film properties for both transparent conductors and semiconductors. (orig.)

Improved transparent-conducting properties in N2- and H2- annealed GaZnO thin films grown on glass substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Youngmin; Kim, Deukyoung; Lee, Sejoon

2012-01-01

The effects of N 2 - and H 2 - annealing on the transparent-conducting properties of Ga-doped ZnO (GaZnO) were examined. The as-grown GaZnO thin film, which was deposited on a soda-lime glass substrate by r.f. magnetron sputtering, exhibited moderate transparent-conducting properties: a resistivity of ∼10 0 Ω·cm and an optical transmittance of ∼86%. After annealing in N 2 or H 2 , the GaZnO samples showed great improvements in both the electrical and the optical properties. Particularly, in the H 2 -annealed sample, a dramatic decrease in the resistivity (7 x 10 -4 Ω·cm) with a considerable increase in the carrier concentration (4.22 x 10 21 cm -3 ) was observed. This is attributed to both an increase in the number of Ga-O bonds and a reduction in the number of chemisorbed oxygen atoms though H 2 annealing. The sample revealed an enhanced optical transmittance (∼91%), which comes from the Burstein-Moss effect. Namely, a blue-shift of the optical absorption edge, which results from the increased carrier concentration, was observed in the H 2 -annealed sample. The results suggest that hydrogen annealing can help improve the transparent conducting properties of GaZnO via a modification of the electrochemical bonding structures.

Design rules for modulation doped AlAs quantum wells

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Yoon Jang; Baldwin, K. W.; West, K. W.; Kamburov, D.; Shayegan, M.; Pfeiffer, L. N.

AlxGa1-xAs/AlAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum wells were grown with various barrier compositions ranging from x =0.26 to x =0.8. We investigate the modulation doping characteristics of the samples by magneto-transport measurements. The carrier concentration in the well peaks near the barrier alloy fraction of x =0.26 in the dark and near x =0.38 after illumination with a red LED. This behavior is consistent with the results in a separate study for AlxGa1-xAs/GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum wells in the range of x =0.26 to x =1.0. We show from a charge transfer model that the calculated energy difference between the conduction band offset at the well interface and the donor energy level, ΔEC-ED, coincides for the two types of wells. This implies that, despite the differing positions of the conduction band minimum for the GaAs and AlAs wells, the doping of either well is governed by the electronic properties of the barrier. Based on this knowledge we designed high quality AlAs quantum wells with low (1 x 1011 cm-2) and high (3 x 1011 cm-2) density, and the magneto-transport data show clear signals of the fractional quantum Hall effect (2/3, 3/5, 4/7 for low density and 5/3, 8/5 for high density). Work supported by the NSF (Grants DMR-1305691, ECCS-1508925, and MRSEC DMR-1420541), the DOE Basic Energy Sciences (Grant DE-FG02-00-ER45841), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Grant GBMF4420), and the Keck Foundation.

Electrical transport characterization of Al and Sn doped Mg 2 Si thin films

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Bo

2017-05-22

Thin-film Mg2Si was deposited using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. Al and Sn were incorporated as n-type dopants using co-sputtering to tune the thin-film electrical properties. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that the deposited films are polycrystalline Mg2Si. The Sn and Al doping concentrations were measured using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The charge carrier concentration and the charge carrier type of the Mg2Si films were measured using a Hall bar structure. Hall measurements show that as the doping concentration increases, the carrier concentration of the Al-doped films increases, whereas the carrier concentration of the Sn-doped films decreases. Combined with the resistivity measurements, the mobility of the Al-doped Mg2Si films is found to decrease with increasing doping concentration, whereas the mobility of the Sn-doped Mg2Si films is found to increase.

Fabrication of Polycrystalline Transparent Co+2: MgAl2O4 by a Combination of Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP Processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sokol Maxim

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Transparent Co2+ doped MgAl2Ob4 spinel was fabricated by SPS consolidation followed by and HIP treatment. It was established that HIP treatment significantly improved transparency of the ceramic in a wide range of wavelengths, especially, in a range, which is relevant for Q-switching. Nonlinear absorption was demonstrated and the ground and excited state absorption cross sections were estimated. The positive effect of the HIP treatment on the optical properties is related to an elimination of extremely fine porosity and to the location of Co ions at Mg2+sites in the spinel ionic structure. The experimental results indicate that the fabricated specimens can be used as a passive laser Q-switching material.

Synthesis and Characterization of Graphene/ITO Nanoparticle Hybrid Transparent Conducting Electrode

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Jae-Kwan Kim; Ji-Myon Lee

2018-01-01

The combination of graphene with conductive nanoparticles, forming graphene–nanoparticle hybrid materials, offers a number of excellent properties for advanced engineering applications. A novel and simple method was developed to deposit 10 wt% tin-doped indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles on graphene. The method involved a combination of a solution-based environmen-tally friendly electroless deposition approach and subse-quent vacuum annealing.A stable organic-free solution of ITO was prepared from economical salts of In(NO3)3?H2O and SnCl4. The obtained ITO nanostructure exhibited a unique architecture, with uniformly dispersed 25–35 nm size ITO nanoparticles, containing only the crystallized In2O3phase.The synthesized ITO nanoparticles–graphene hybrid exhibited very good and reproducible optical transparency in the visible range (more than 85%) and a 28.2% improvement in electrical conductivity relative to graphene synthesized by chemical vapor deposition.It was observed that the ITO nanoparticles affect the position of the Raman signal of graphene,in which the D,G,and 2D peaks were redshifted by 5.65, 5.69, and 9.74 cm-1,respectively, and the annealing conditions had no signifi-cant effect on the Raman signatures of graphene.

Synthesis and Characterization of Graphene/ITO Nanoparticle Hybrid Transparent Conducting Electrode

Science.gov (United States)

Hemasiri, Bastian Waduge Naveen Harindu; Kim, Jae-Kwan; Lee, Ji-Myon

2018-03-01

The combination of graphene with conductive nanoparticles, forming graphene-nanoparticle hybrid materials, offers a number of excellent properties for advanced engineering applications. A novel and simple method was developed to deposit 10 wt% tin-doped indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles on graphene. The method involved a combination of a solution-based environmentally friendly electroless deposition approach and subsequent vacuum annealing. A stable organic-free solution of ITO was prepared from economical salts of In(NO3) 3 · H2O and SnCl4. The obtained ITO nanostructure exhibited a unique architecture, with uniformly dispersed 25-35 nm size ITO nanoparticles, containing only the crystallized In2O3 phase. The synthesized ITO nanoparticles-graphene hybrid exhibited very good and reproducible optical transparency in the visible range (more than 85%) and a 28.2% improvement in electrical conductivity relative to graphene synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. It was observed that the ITO nanoparticles affect the position of the Raman signal of graphene, in which the D, G, and 2D peaks were redshifted by 5.65, 5.69, and 9.74 cm-1, respectively, and the annealing conditions had no significant effect on the Raman signatures of graphene. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Enhanced field emission from Si doped nanocrystalline AlN thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thapa, R.; Saha, B.; Chattopadhyay, K.K.

2009-01-01

Si doped and undoped nanocrystalline aluminum nitride thin films were deposited on various substrates by direct current sputtering technique. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of phase pure hexagonal aluminum nitride with a single peak corresponding to (1 0 0) reflection of AlN with lattice constants, a = 0.3114 nm and c = 0.4986 nm. Energy dispersive analysis of X-rays confirmed the presence of Si in the doped AlN films. Atomic force microscopic studies showed that the average particle size of the film prepared at substrate temperature 200 deg. C was 9.5 nm, but when 5 at.% Si was incorporated the average particle size increased to ∼21 nm. Field emission study indicated that, with increasing Si doping concentration, the emission characteristics have been improved. The turn-on field (E to ) was 15.0 (±0.7) V/μm, 8.0 (±0.4) V/μm and 7.8 (±0.5) V/μm for undoped, 3 at.% and 5 at.% Si doped AlN films respectively and the maximum current density of 0.27 μA/cm 2 has been observed for 5 at.% Si doped nanocrystalline AlN film. It was also found that the dielectric properties were highly dependent on Si doping.

Preparation and characterisation of Al-doped Zn O thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saad, M.; Kassis, A.; Nounou, F.

2010-12-01

Al-doped Zn O thin films were prepared using RF magnetron sputtering under several preparation conditions (deposition pressure, RF power, substrate temperature). The films were optically and electrically characterized by measuring their transmission and resistance. Furthermore, x-ray diffraction spectroscopy was used in order to study the structural properties of these films. As a result of this study, the preparation conditions suitable for the highly conductive part of the window layer in solar cells were determined. (author)

Transparent conducting properties of Ni doped zinc oxide thin films prepared by a facile spray pyrolysis technique using perfume atomizer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bouaoud, A.; Rmili, A.; Ouachtari, F.; Louardi, A.; Chtouki, T. [Laboratoire des Hautes Energies, Sciences de l' Ingenierie et Reacteurs (LHESIR), Equipe Ingenierie et Materiaux (INMA), Departement de Physique, Faculte des Sciences, Kenitra (Morocco); Elidrissi, B., E-mail: e.bachir@mailcity.com [Laboratoire des Hautes Energies, Sciences de l' Ingenierie et Reacteurs (LHESIR), Equipe Ingenierie et Materiaux (INMA), Departement de Physique, Faculte des Sciences, Kenitra (Morocco); Erguig, H. [Laboratoire des Hautes Energies, Sciences de l' Ingenierie et Reacteurs (LHESIR), Equipe Ingenierie et Materiaux (INMA), Departement de Physique, Faculte des Sciences, Kenitra (Morocco); Ecole Nationale des Sciences Appliquees de Kenitra (ENSAK) (Morocco)

2013-01-15

Undoped and Ni doped zinc oxide (Ni-ZnO) thin films were prepared by a facile spray pyrolysis technique using perfume atomizer from aqueous solution of anhydrous zinc acetate (Zn(CH{sub 3}COOH){sub 2} and hexahydrated nickel chloride (NiCl{sub 2}{center_dot}6H{sub 2}O) as sources of zinc and nickel, respectively. The films were deposited onto the amorphous glass substrates kept at (450 Degree-Sign C). The effect of the [Ni]/[Zn] ratio on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of Ni doped ZnO thin film was studied. It was found from X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis that both the undoped and Ni doped ZnO films were crystallized in the hexagonal structure with a preferred orientation of the crystallites along the [002] direction perpendicular to the substrate. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed a relatively dense surface structure composed of crystallites in the spherical form whose average size decreases when the [Ni]/[Zn] ratio increases. The optical study showed that all the films were highly transparent. The optical transmittance in the visible region varied between 75 and 85%, depending on the dopant concentrations. The variation of the band gap versus the [Ni]/[Zn] ratio showed that the energy gap decreases from 2.95 to 2.72 eV as the [Ni]/[Zn] ratio increases from 0 to 0.02 and then increases to reach 3.22 eV for [Ni]/[Zn] = 0.04. The films obtained with the [Ni]/[Zn] ratio = 0.02 showed minimum resistivity of 2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} {Omega} cm at room temperature. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The optical transmittance of Ni doped ZnO varies between 75 and 85%. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The energy gap of these films decreases from 2.95 to 2.72 eV as the [Ni]/[Zn] ratio increases from 0 to 0.02. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The energy gap increases to reach 3.22 eV for [Ni]/[Zn] = 0.04. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The films obtained with [Ni]/[Zn] ratio = 0.02 show minimum resistivity of 2

Tailoring structure and magnetic characteristics of strontium hexaferrite via Al doping engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, H.Z.; Hai, Y.N. [State Key Lab of High Power Semiconductor Laser of Changchun University Science and Technology, Changchun University Science and Technology, Changchun 130022 (China); Yao, B., E-mail: binyao@jlu.edu.cn [State Key Lab of Superhard Materials and Department of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130023 (China); Xu, Y. [School of Physics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024 (China); Shan, L. [State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry and Department of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Xu, L.; Tang, J.L.; Wang, Q.H. [State Key Lab of High Power Semiconductor Laser of Changchun University Science and Technology, Changchun University Science and Technology, Changchun 130022 (China)

2017-01-15

Emerging structure and magnetic properties of Al{sup 3+}-modified SrFe{sub 12}O{sub 19} M-type hexaferrite system (SrAl{sub x}Fe{sub 12−x}O{sub 19}) had been studied in detail via doping engineering. With Al{sup 3+} ion nominal content ranging from 0 to 4 (0≤x≤4), the lattice parameters decrease due to the substitution of Fe{sup 3+} ions by smaller Al{sup 3+} ions, and the magnetization shows a continuous reduction with the increasing of Al content. For the coercivity, its value initially increases, reaching a maximum value of 16,876.9 Oe at x=3, and then reduces with the Al content further increase. When all the Fe{sup 3+} ions (x=4) are replaced by Al{sup 3+} ions, the net magnetic moment will be closed to zero, that will weaken the exchange interaction between Fe{sup 3+} ions, resulting in decrease of coercivity sharply and transformation ferrimagnetism into antiferromagnetism. The mechanism of the improvement of the magnetic properties induced by Al doping is discussed in the present work. - Highlights: • The coercivity reach a maximum value at x=3 in the SrAl{sub x}Fe{sub 12−x}O{sub 19}. • The coercivity of SrFe{sub 12}O{sub 19} increases due to nonmagnetic Al doping. • The saturation magnetization of SrFe{sub 12}O{sub 19} decreases due to nonmagnetic Al doping. • The transformation ferrimagnetism into antiferromagnetism by nonmagnetic Al doping.

Morphological differences in transparent conductive indium-doped zinc oxide thin films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jongthammanurak, Samerkhae; Cheawkul, Tinnaphob; Witana, Maetapa

2014-01-01

In-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique, using indium chloride (InCl 3 ) as a dopant and zinc acetate solution as a precursor. Increasing the [at.% In]/[at.% Zn] ratio changed the crystal orientations of thin films, from the (100) preferred orientation in the undoped, to the (101) and (001) preferred orientations in the In-doped ZnO thin films with 4 at.% and 6–8 at.%, respectively. Undoped ZnO thin film shows relatively smooth surface whereas In-doped ZnO thin films with 4 at.% and 6–8 at.% show surface features of pyramidal forms and hexagonal columns, respectively. X-ray diffraction patterns of the In-doped ZnO thin films with [at.% In]/[at.% Zn] ratios of 6–8% presented an additional peak located at 2-theta of 32.95°, which possibly suggested that a metastable Zn 7 In 2 O 10 phase was present with the ZnO phase. ZnO thin films doped with 2 at.% In resulted in a sheet resistance of ∼ 645 Ω/sq, the lowest value among thin films with [at.% In]/[at.% Zn] ratio in a range of 0–8%. The precursor molarity was changed between 0.05 M and 0.20 M at an [at.% In]/[at.% Zn] ratio of 2%. Increasing the precursor molarity in a range of 0.10 M–0.20 M resulted in In-doped ZnO thin films with the (100) preferred orientation. An In-doped ZnO thin film deposited by 0.20 M precursor showed a sheet resistance of 25 Ω/sq, and an optical transmission of 75% at 550 nm wavelength. The optical band gap estimated from the transmission result was 3.292 eV. - Highlights: • Indium-doped ZnO thin films were grown on glass using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. • Thin films' orientations depend on In doping and Zn molarity of precursor solution. • Highly c-axis or a-axis orientations were found in the In-doped ZnO thin films. • In doping of 6–8 at.% may have resulted in ZnO and a metastable Zn 7 In 2 O 10 phases. • Increasing precursor molarity reduced sheet resistance of In-doped ZnO thin films

Electrical and optical properties of ultrasonically sprayed Al-doped zinc oxide thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Babu, B.J., E-mail: jbabu@cinvestav.mx [Department of Electrical Engineering-SEES, CINVESTAV-IPN, Zacatenco, D.F., C.P. 07360 (Mexico); Maldonado, A.; Velumani, S.; Asomoza, R. [Department of Electrical Engineering-SEES, CINVESTAV-IPN, Zacatenco, D.F., C.P. 07360 (Mexico)

2010-10-25

Aluminium-doped ZnO (AZO) films were deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) technique to investigate its potential application as antireflection coating and top contact layer for copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) based photovoltaic cells. The solution used to prepare AZO thin films contained 0.2 M of zinc acetate and 0.2 M of aluminium pentanedionate solutions in the order of 2, 3 and 4 at.% of Al/Zn. AZO films were deposited onto glass substrates at different substrate temperatures starting from 450 deg. C to 500 deg. C. XRD and FESEM analysis revealed the structural properties of the films and almost all the films possessed crystalline structure with a preferred (0 0 2) orientation except for the 4 at.% of Al. Grain size of AZO films varied from 29.7 to 37 nm for different substrate temperatures and atomic percentage of aluminium. The average optical transmittance of all films with the variation of doping concentration and substrate temperature was 75-90% in the visible range of wavelength 600-700 nm. Optical direct band gap value of 2, 3 and 4 at.% Al-doped films sprayed at different temperatures varied from 3.32 to 3.46 eV. Hall studies were carried out to analyze resistivity, mobility and carrier concentration of the films. AZO films deposited at different substrate temperatures and at various Al/Zn ratios showed resistivity ranging from 0.12 to 1.0 x 10{sup -2} {Omega} cm. Mobility value was {approx}5 cm{sup 2}/V s and carrier concentration value was {approx}7.7 x 10{sup 19} cm{sup -3}. Minimum electrical resistivity was obtained for the 3 at.% Al-doped film sprayed at 475 deg. C and its value was 1.0 x 10{sup -2} {Omega} cm with film thickness of 602 nm. The electrical conductivity of ZnO films was improved by aluminium doping.

Cellulose nanofibers/reduced graphene oxide flexible transparent conductive paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Kezheng; Shao, Ziqiang; Wu, Xue; Wang, Xi; Li, Jia; Zhang, Yunhua; Wang, Wenjun; Wang, Feijun

2013-08-14

The cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) paper exhibit high visible light transmittance, high mechanical strength, and excellent flexibility. Therefore, CNFs paper may be an excellent substrate material for flexible transparent electronic devices. In this paper, we endeavor to prepare CNFs-based flexible transparent conductive paper by layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly using divalent copper ions (Cu(2+)) as the crosslinking agent. The thickness of the reduced graphene oxide (RGO) active layer in the CNFs paper can be controlled by the cycle times of the LbL assembly. CNFs/[RGO]20 paper has the sheet resistances of ∼2.5 kΩ/□, and the transmittance of about 76% at a wavelength of 550 nm. Furthermore, CNFs/[RGO]20 paper inherits the excellent mechanical properties of CNFs paper, and the ultimate strength is about 136 MPa. CNFs-based flexible transparent conductive paper also exhibits excellent electrical stability and flexibility. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Quantified Hole Concentration in AlGaN Nanowires for High-Performance Ultraviolet Emitters

KAUST Repository

Zhao, Chao; Ebaid, Mohamed; Zhang, Huafan; Priante, Davide; Janjua, Bilal; Zhang, Daliang; Wei, Nini; Alhamoud, Abdullah; Shakfa, M. Khaled; Ng, Tien Khee; Ooi, Boon S.

2018-01-01

P-type doping in wide bandgap and new classes of ultra-wide bandgap materials has long been a scientific and engineering problem. The challenges arise from the large activation energy of dopants and high densities of dislocations in materials. We report here, a significantly enhanced p-type conduction using high-quality AlGaN nanowires. For the first time, the hole concentration in Mg-doped AlGaN nanowires is quantified. The incorporation of Mg into AlGaN was verified by correlation with photoluminescence and Raman measurements. The open-circuit potential measurements further confirmed the p-type conductivity; while Mott-Schottky experiments measured a hole concentration of 1.3×1019 cm-3. These results from photoelectrochemical measurements allow us to design prototype ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) incorporating the AlGaN quantum-disks-in-nanowire and optimized p-type AlGaN contact layer for UV-transparency. The ~335-nm LEDs exhibited a low turn-on voltage of 5 V with a series resistance of 32 Ω, due to the efficient p-type doping of the AlGaN nanowires. The bias-dependent Raman measurements further revealed the negligible self-heating of devices. This study provides an attractive solution to evaluate electrical properties of AlGaN, which is applicable to other wide bandgap nanostructures. Our results are expected to open doors to new applications for wide and ultra-wide bandgap materials.

Quantified Hole Concentration in AlGaN Nanowires for High-Performance Ultraviolet Emitters

KAUST Repository

Zhao, Chao

2018-05-29

P-type doping in wide bandgap and new classes of ultra-wide bandgap materials has long been a scientific and engineering problem. The challenges arise from the large activation energy of dopants and high densities of dislocations in materials. We report here, a significantly enhanced p-type conduction using high-quality AlGaN nanowires. For the first time, the hole concentration in Mg-doped AlGaN nanowires is quantified. The incorporation of Mg into AlGaN was verified by correlation with photoluminescence and Raman measurements. The open-circuit potential measurements further confirmed the p-type conductivity; while Mott-Schottky experiments measured a hole concentration of 1.3×1019 cm-3. These results from photoelectrochemical measurements allow us to design prototype ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) incorporating the AlGaN quantum-disks-in-nanowire and optimized p-type AlGaN contact layer for UV-transparency. The ~335-nm LEDs exhibited a low turn-on voltage of 5 V with a series resistance of 32 Ω, due to the efficient p-type doping of the AlGaN nanowires. The bias-dependent Raman measurements further revealed the negligible self-heating of devices. This study provides an attractive solution to evaluate electrical properties of AlGaN, which is applicable to other wide bandgap nanostructures. Our results are expected to open doors to new applications for wide and ultra-wide bandgap materials.

Ce and Eu-doped LiSrAlF6 scintillators for neutron detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, Takayuki; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yokota, Yuui; Yamazaki, Atsushi; Watanabe, Kenichi; Kamada, Kei; Yoshikawa, Akira; Chani, Valery

2011-01-01

Ce 1%, Eu 1%, and Eu 2%-doped LiSrAlF 6 (LiSAF) single crystals were grown by the micro-pulling-down method for thermal neutron applications. The crystals were transparent, 2.0 mm in diameter and 20–40 mm in length. Neither visible inclusions nor cracks were observed. Their transmittance spectra were measured. The strong absorption lines were observed at 200, 240, and 300 nm for Ce:LiSAF due to Ce 3+ 4f–5d transition. In Eu:LiSAF, 200 (4f–5d) and 300 (4f–4f) nm absorption lines were detected. The samples demonstrated strong emission peaks at 300 nm (Ce:LiSAF) and 370 nm (Eu:LiSAFs) when they were irradiated with 241 Am α-rays simulating the α-particles from the 6 Li(n, α) reaction. Thermal neutron responses were examined under 252 Cf irradiation. The absolute light yield of Ce, Eu 1%, and Eu 2% crystals were 3400, 18000, and 30000 ph/n, respectively. Main components of the scintillation decay time of Ce, Eu 1%, and Eu 2%-doped LiSAFs were 63, 1293, and 1205 ns.

Microcrystalline silicon carbide alloys prepared with HWCVD as highly transparent and conductive window layers for thin film solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finger, F.; Astakhov, O.; Bronger, T.; Carius, R.; Chen, T.; Dasgupta, A.; Gordijn, A.; Houben, L.; Huang, Y.; Klein, S.; Luysberg, M.; Wang, H.; Xiao, L.

2009-01-01

Crystalline silicon carbide alloys have a very high potential as transparent conductive window layers in thin-film solar cells provided they can be prepared in thin-film form and at compatible deposition temperatures. The low-temperature deposition of such material in microcrystalline form (μc-Si:C:H) was realized by use of monomethylsilane precursor gas diluted in hydrogen with the Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition process. A wide range of deposition parameters has been investigated and the structural, electronic and optical properties of the μc-SiC:H thin films have been studied. The material, which is strongly n-type from unintentional doping, has been used as window layer in n-side illuminated microcrystalline silicon solar cells. High short-circuit current densities are obtained due to the high transparency of the material resulting in a maximum solar cell conversion efficiency of 9.2%.

Oxygen-doped zirconium nitride based transparent resistive random access memory devices fabricated by radio frequency sputtering method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hee-Dong, E-mail: khd0708@sejong.ac.kr [Department of Electrical Engineering, Sejong University, Neungdong-ro 209, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of); Yun, Min Ju [Department of Electrical Engineering, Sejong University, Neungdong-ro 209, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kyeong Heon [School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, Anam-dong, Sungbuk-gu, Seoul 163-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sungho, E-mail: sungho85.kim@sejong.ac.kr [Department of Electrical Engineering, Sejong University, Neungdong-ro 209, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-08-05

In this work, we present a feasibility of bipolar resistive switching (RS) characteristics for Oxygen-doped zirconium nitride (O-doped ZrN{sub x}) films, produced by sputtering method, which shows a high optical transmittance of approximately 78% in the visible region as well as near ultra-violet region. In addition, in a RS test, the device has a large current ratio of 5 × 10{sup 3} in positive bias region and 5 × 10{sup 5} in negative bias region. Then, to evaluate an ability of data storage for the proposed memory devices, we measured a retention time for 10{sup 4} s at room temperature (RT) and 85 °C as well. As a result, the set and reset states were stably maintained with a current ratio of ∼10{sup 2} at 85 °C to ∼10{sup 3} at RT. This result means that the transparent memory by controlling the working pressure during sputtering process to deposit the ZrN{sub x} films could be a milestone for future see-through electronic devices. - Highlights: • The resistive switching characteristics of the transparent O-doped ZrN{sub x}-based RRAM cells have investigated. • Oxygen doping concentration within ZrN{sub x} is optimized using working pressure of sputter. • Long retention time were observed.

Electronic and atomic structure of complex defects in Al- and Ga-highly doped ZnO films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Menéndez-Proupin, Eduardo [Instituto de Energía Solar, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras 3425, 780-0003 Ñuñoa, Santiago (Chile); Palacios, Pablo, E-mail: pablo.palacios@upm.es [Instituto de Energía Solar, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Dpt. FAIAN, E.T.S.I. Aeronáutica y del Espacio, UPM, Pz. Cardenal Cisneros 3, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Wahnón, Perla [Instituto de Energía Solar, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Dpt. TFO, E.T.S.I. Telecomunicación, UPM, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2015-06-15

Point defects in Ga- and Al-doped ZnO thin films are studied by means of first principles electronic structure calculations. Candidate defects are identified to explain recently observed differences in electrical and spectroscopic behavior of both systems. Substitutional doping in Ga–ZnO explain the metallic behavior of the electrical properties. Complexes of interstitial oxygen with substitutional Ga can behave as acceptor and cause partial compensation, as well as gap states below the conduction band minimum as observed in photoemission experiments. Zn vacancies can also act as compensating acceptors. On the other hand, the semiconducting behavior of Al–ZnO and the small variation in the optical gap compared with pure ZnO, can be explained by almost complete compensation between acceptor Zn vacancies and substitutional Al donors. Interstitial Al can also be donor levels and can be the origin of the small band observed in photoemission experiments below the Fermi level. Combinations of substitutional Al with interstitial oxygen can act simultaneously as compensating acceptor and generator of the mentioned photoemission band. The theoretical calculations have been done using density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation with on-site Coulomb interaction. In selected cases, DFT calculations with semilocal-exact exchange hybrid functionals have been performed. Results explain photoelectron spectra of Ga–ZnO and Al–ZnO at the corresponding doping levels. - Highlights: • Defects in Ga- and Al-heavy-doped ZnO films are studied by quantum calculations. • Defects compatible with electrical, optical, and HAXPES spectra are proposed. • Doping efficiency is reduced by Zn vacancies and O interstitials. • HAXPES bands near the Fermi level are induced by Al{sub i}, and complexes Ga{sub Zn}-O{sub i}, and Al{sub Zn}-O{sub i}.

Highly Transparent and Conductive Metallized Nanofibers by Electrospinning and Electroplating

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Sam S.; Yarin, Alexander L.

2017-11-01

Transparent conducting films (TCFs) and transparent heaters (THs) are of interest for a wide variety of applications, from displays to window defrosters. Here, we demonstrate production of highly flexible, conducting, and transparent copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), platinum (Pt), and silver (Ag) nanofibers suitable for use not only in TCFs and THs but also in some other engineering applications. The merging of fibers at their intersections (i.e. self-junctioning) minimizes contact resistance in these films. These metallized nanofibers exhibited a remarkably low sheet resistance at a high optical transmittance. This low sheet resistance allows them to serve as low-voltage heaters, achieving a high heating temperature at a relatively low applied voltage. These nanofibers are free-standing, flexible, stretchable, and their mechanical reliability was confirmed through various mechanical endurance tests.

Effects of UV assistance on the properties of al-doped ZnO thin films deposited by sol-gel method

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Yung-Kuan; Pai, Feng-Ming; Chen, Yan-Cheng; Wu, Chao-Hsien

2013-11-01

We report here the preparation of aluminum doped zinc oxide transparent conductive thin films by a UV-assisted sol-gel method. It was found that UV irradiation creates ozone, which promotes the conductivity and transparency of the films. Boro-silicate glasses are used as substrates; an PGME is used as a solvent; after spin-coating, the films are dried and radiated with UV and then heated to 400°C for decarburization and 500°C for annealing under air. The surface morphologies of the prepared films are observed by FE-SEM and AFM. It was found that the films irradiated with UV-C are smoother and denser. An XRD analysis shows that the films have a typical wurtzite crystalline structure with a c-axis orientation normal to the surface. The electric resistance values measured with a four-point probe show that the films irradiated with UV have better conductivity (at approximately 3.4 × 10-3Ω-cm) than the films that did not undergo UV irradiation. An analysis by visible light spectrometry indicates that the AZO films irradiated with UV are more transparent than the films without UV-irradiation.

Engineering the switching dynamics of TiO{sub x}-based RRAM with Al doping

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trapatseli, Maria, E-mail: mt3c13@soton.ac.uk; Khiat, Ali; Cortese, Simone; Serb, Alexantrou; Carta, Daniela; Prodromakis, Themistoklis [Nano Group, School of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ (United Kingdom)

2016-07-14

Titanium oxide (TiO{sub x}) has attracted a lot of attention as an active material for resistive random access memory (RRAM), due to its versatility and variety of possible crystal phases. Although existing RRAM materials have demonstrated impressive characteristics, like ultra-fast switching and high cycling endurance, this technology still encounters challenges like low yields, large variability of switching characteristics, and ultimately device failure. Electroforming has been often considered responsible for introducing irreversible damage to devices, with high switching voltages contributing to device degradation. In this paper, we have employed Al doping for tuning the resistive switching characteristics of titanium oxide RRAM. The resistive switching threshold voltages of undoped and Al-doped TiO{sub x} thin films were first assessed by conductive atomic force microscopy. The thin films were then transferred in RRAM devices and tested with voltage pulse sweeping, demonstrating that the Al-doped devices could on average form at lower potentials compared to the undoped ones and could support both analog and binary switching at potentials as low as 0.9 V. This work demonstrates a potential pathway for implementing low-power RRAM systems.

Highly Al-doped TiO2 nanoparticles produced by Ball Mill Method: structural and electronic characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Desireé M. de los; Navas, Javier; Sánchez-Coronilla, Antonio; Alcántara, Rodrigo; Fernández-Lorenzo, Concha; Martín-Calleja, Joaquín

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Highly Al-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles were synthesized using a Ball Mill Method. • Al doping delayed anatase to rutile phase transformation. • Al doping allow controlling the structural and electronic properties of nanoparticles. - Abstract: This study presents an easy method for synthesizing highly doped TiO 2 nanoparticles. The Ball Mill method was used to synthesize pure and Al-doped titanium dioxide, with an atomic percentage up to 15.7 at.% Al/(Al + Ti). The samples were annealed at 773 K, 973 K and 1173 K, and characterized using ICP-AES, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR, TG, STEM, XPS, and UV–vis spectroscopy. The effect of doping and the calcination temperature on the structure and properties of the nanoparticles were studied. The results show high levels of internal doping due to the substitution of Ti 4+ ions by Al 3+ in the TiO 2 lattice. Furthermore, anatase to rutile transformation occurs at higher temperatures when the percentage of doping increases. Therefore, Al doping allows us to control the structural and electronic properties of the nanoparticle synthesized. So, it is possible to obtain nanoparticles with anatase as predominant phase in a higher range of temperature

Transparent and flexible heaters based on Al:ZnO degenerate semiconductor

Science.gov (United States)

Roul, Monee K.; Obasogie, Brandon; Kogo, Gilbert; Skuza, J. R.; Mundle, R. M.; Pradhan, A. K.

2017-10-01

We report on high performance transparent Al:ZnO (AZO) thin film heaters on flexible polymer (polyethylene terephthalate) and glass substrates which demonstrate low sheet resistivity. AZO thin films were grown by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at low Ts (below 200 °C) on flexible, transparent polyethylene terephthalate substrates that show stable and reproducible results by applying low (pain/injury therapy smart windows, automobile window defrosters, and low-cost power electronics.

Electronic structure and optical properties of Al and Mg co-doped GaN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Yan-Jun; Du Yu-Jie; Wang Mei-Shan

2013-01-01

The electronic structure and optical properties of Al and Mg co-doped GaN are calculated from first principles using density function theory with the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential method. The results show that the optimal form of p-type GaN is obtained with an appropriate Al:Mg co-doping ratio rather than with only Mg doping. Al doping weakens the interaction between Ga and N, resulting in the Ga 4s states moving to a high energy region and the system band gap widening. The optical properties of the co-doped system are calculated and compared with those of undoped GaN. The dielectric function of the co-doped system is anisotropic in the low energy region. The static refractive index and reflectivity increase, and absorption coefficient decreases. This provides the theoretical foundation for the design and application of Al—Mg co-doped GaN photoelectric materials

Impacts of Co doping on ZnO transparent switching memory device characteristics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simanjuntak, Firman Mangasa; Wei, Kung-Hwa [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan (China); Prasad, Om Kumar [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan (China); Panda, Debashis [Department of Electronics Engineering, National Institute of Science and Technology, Berhampur, Odisha 761008 (India); Lin, Chun-An; Tsai, Tsung-Ling; Tseng, Tseung-Yuen, E-mail: tseng@cc.nctu.edu.tw [Department of Electronics Engineering and Institute of Electronics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan (China)

2016-05-02

The resistive switching characteristics of indium tin oxide (ITO)/Zn{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}O/ITO transparent resistive memory devices were investigated. An appropriate amount of cobalt dopant in ZnO resistive layer demonstrated sufficient memory window and switching stability. In contrast, pure ZnO devices demonstrated a poor memory window, and using an excessive dopant concentration led to switching instability. To achieve suitable memory performance, relying only on controlling defect concentrations is insufficient; the grain growth orientation of the resistive layer must also be considered. Stable endurance with an ON/OFF ratio of more than one order of magnitude during 5000 cycles confirmed that the Co-doped ZnO device is a suitable candidate for resistive random access memory application. Additionally, fully transparent devices with a high transmittance of up to 90% at wavelength of 550 nm have been fabricated.

The electrical, optical, structural and thermoelectrical characterization of n- and p-type cobalt-doped SnO2 transparent semiconducting films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bagheri-Mohagheghi, Mohammad-Mehdi; Shokooh-Saremi, Mehrdad

2010-01-01

The electrical, optical and structural properties of Cobalt (Co) doped SnO 2 transparent semiconducting thin films, deposited by the spray pyrolysis technique, have been studied. The SnO 2 :Co films, with different Co-content, were deposited on glass substrates using an aqueous-ethanol solution consisting of tin and cobalt chlorides. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the SnO 2 :Co films were polycrystalline only with tin oxide phases and preferential orientations along (1 1 0) and (2 1 1) planes and grain sizes in the range 19-82 nm. Optical transmittance spectra of the films showed high transparency ∼75-90% in the visible region, decreasing with increase in Co-doping. The optical absorption edge for undoped SnO 2 films was found to be 3.76 eV, while for higher Co-doped films shifted toward higher energies (shorter wavelengths) in the range 3.76-4.04 eV and then slowly decreased again to 4.03 eV. A change in sign of the Hall voltage and Seebeck coefficient was observed for a specific acceptor dopant level ∼11.4 at% in film and interpreted as a conversion from n-type to p-type conductivity. The thermoelectric electro-motive force (e.m.f.) of the films was measured in the temperature range 300-500 K and Seebeck coefficients were found in the range from -62 to +499 μVK -1 for various Co-doped SnO 2 films.

The electrical, optical, structural and thermoelectrical characterization of n- and p-type cobalt-doped SnO 2 transparent semiconducting films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique

Science.gov (United States)

Bagheri-Mohagheghi, Mohammad-Mehdi; Shokooh-Saremi, Mehrdad

2010-10-01

The electrical, optical and structural properties of Cobalt (Co) doped SnO 2 transparent semiconducting thin films, deposited by the spray pyrolysis technique, have been studied. The SnO 2:Co films, with different Co-content, were deposited on glass substrates using an aqueous-ethanol solution consisting of tin and cobalt chlorides. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the SnO 2:Co films were polycrystalline only with tin oxide phases and preferential orientations along (1 1 0) and (2 1 1) planes and grain sizes in the range 19-82 nm. Optical transmittance spectra of the films showed high transparency ∼75-90% in the visible region, decreasing with increase in Co-doping. The optical absorption edge for undoped SnO 2 films was found to be 3.76 eV, while for higher Co-doped films shifted toward higher energies (shorter wavelengths) in the range 3.76-4.04 eV and then slowly decreased again to 4.03 eV. A change in sign of the Hall voltage and Seebeck coefficient was observed for a specific acceptor dopant level ∼11.4 at% in film and interpreted as a conversion from n-type to p-type conductivity. The thermoelectric electro-motive force (e.m.f.) of the films was measured in the temperature range 300-500 K and Seebeck coefficients were found in the range from -62 to +499 μVK -1 for various Co-doped SnO 2 films.

A high performance transparent resistive switching memory made from ZrO_2/AlON bilayer structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsai, Tsung-Ling; Chang, Hsiang-Yu; Tseng, Tseung-Yuen; Lou, Jesse Jen-Chung

2016-01-01

In this study, the switching properties of an indium tin oxide (ITO)/zirconium oxide (ZrO_2)/ITO single layer device and those of a device with an aluminum oxynitride (AlON) layer were investigated. The devices with highly transparent characteristics were fabricated. Compared with the ITO/ZrO_2/ITO single layer device, the ITO/ZrO_2/AlON/ITO bilayer device exhibited a larger ON/OFF ratio, higher endurance performance, and superior retention properties by using a simple two-step forming process. These substantial improvements in the resistive switching properties were attributed to the minimized influence of oxygen migration through the ITO top electrode (TE), which can be realized by forming an asymmetrical conductive filament with the weakest part at the ZrO_2/AlON interface. Therefore, in the ITO/ZrO_2/AlON/ITO bilayer device, the regions where conductive filament formation and rupture occur can be effectively moved from the TE interface to the interior of the device.

Structural, optical and electrochemical properties of F-doped vanadium oxide transparent semiconducting thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mousavi, M.; Khorrami, G.H. [University of Bojnord, Department of Physics, Faculty of Basic Science, Bojnord (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Kompany, A. [Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Department of Physics, Mashhad (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Yazdi, S.T. [Payame Noor University (PNU), Department of Physics, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-12-15

In this study, F-doped vanadium oxide thin films with doping levels up to 60 at % were prepared by spray pyrolysis method on glass substrates. To measure the electrochemical properties, some films were deposited on fluorine-tin oxide coated glass substrates. The effect of F-doping on the structural, electrical, optical and electrochemical properties of vanadium oxide samples was investigated. The X-ray diffractographs analysis has shown that all the samples grow in tetragonal β-V{sub 2}O{sub 5} phase structure with the preferred orientation of [200]. The intensity of (200) peak belonging to β-V{sub 2}O{sub 5} phase was strongest in the undoped vanadium oxide film. The scanning electron microscopy images show that the samples have nanorod- and nanobelt-shaped structure. The size of the nanobelts in the F-doped vanadium oxide films is smaller than that in the pure sample and the width of the nanobelts increases from 30 to 70 nm with F concentration. With increasing F-doping level from 10 to 60 at %, the resistivity, the transparency and the optical band gap decrease from 111 to 20 Ω cm, 70 to 50% and 2.4 to 2.36 eV, respectively. The cyclic voltammogram (CV) results show that the undoped sample has the most extensive CV and by increasing F-doping level from 20 to 60 at %, the area of the CV is expanded. The anodic and cathodic peaks in F-doped samples are stronger. (orig.)

Epitaxial Sb-doped SnO{sub 2} and Sn-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} transparent conducting oxide contacts on GaN-based light emitting diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsai, Min-Ying [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Bierwagen, Oliver, E-mail: bierwagen@pdi-berlin.de [Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Paul-Drude-Insitut für Festkörperelektronik, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin (Germany); Speck, James S. [Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States)

2016-04-30

We demonstrate the growth of epitaxial (100)-oriented, rutile Sb-doped SnO{sub 2} (ATO) and (111)-oriented, cubic Sn-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} (ITO) transparent conducting oxide (TCO) contacts on top of an InGaN/GaN(0001) light emitting diode (LED) by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE). Both oxides form rotational domains. The in-plane epitaxial alignment of the two ITO(111) rotational domains to the GaN(0001) was: GaN [21-10]|| ITO{sub Domain1}[‐ 211]|| ITO{sub Domain2}[‐ 1‐12]. A growth temperature as low as 600 °C was necessary to realize a low contact resistance between ATO and the top p-GaN layer of the LED but resulted in non-optimal resistivity (3.4 × 10{sup −} {sup 3} Ω cm) of the ATO. The current–voltage characteristics of a processed LED, however, were comparable to that of a reference LED with a standard electron-beam evaporated ITO top contact. At short wavelengths, the optical absorption of ATO was lower than that of ITO, which is beneficial even for blue LEDs. Higher PAMBE growth temperatures resulted in lower resistive ATO but higher contact resistance to the GaN, likely by the formation of an insulating Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} interface layer. The ITO contact grown by PAMBE at 600 °C showed extremely low resistivity (10{sup −4} Ω cm) and high crystalline and morphological quality. These proof-of-principle results may lead to the development of epitaxial TCO contacts with low resistivity, well-defined interfaces to the p-GaN to help minimize contact losses, and enable further epitaxy on top of the TCO. - Highlights: • Plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy of SnO{sub 2}:Sb (ATO) and In{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Sn (ITO) contacts • Working light emitting diodes processed with the ATO contact on the top p-GaN layer • Low growth temperature ensures low contact resistance (limiting interface reaction). • ITO showed significantly better structural and transport properties than ATO. • ATO showed higher optical transmission at short

Transparent conducting materials: Overview and recent results

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deelen, J. van; Illiberi, A.; Hovestad, A.; Barbu, I.; Klerk, L.; Buskens, P.

2012-01-01

An overview of different transparent conductors is given. In addition, atmospheric pressure CVD of ZnO resulted in conductivities below 1 mΩ cm for a temperature of 480°C, whereas at a process temperature of 200°C a value of 2 mΩ cm was obtained. Also atmospheric pressure spatial ALD was used to

The crystallization and physical properties of Al-doped ZnO nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, K.J. [Institute of Microelectronics and Department of Electrical Engineering, Center for Micro/Nano Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Fang, T.H. [Institute of Mechanical and Electromechanical Engineering, National Formosa University, Yunlin 632, Taiwan (China); Hung, F.Y. [Institute of Nanotechnology and Microsystems Engineering, Center for Micro/Nano Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: fyhung@mail.mse.ncku.edu.tw; Ji, L.W. [Institute of Mechanical and Electromechanical Engineering, National Formosa University, Yunlin 632, Taiwan (China); Chang, S.J.; Young, S.J. [Institute of Microelectronics and Department of Electrical Engineering, Center for Micro/Nano Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Hsiao, Y.J. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China)

2008-07-15

Un-doped Al (0-9 at.%) nanoparticles and doped ZnO powders were prepared by the sol-gel method. The nanoparticles were heated at 700-800 deg. C for 1 h in air and then analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectra and photoluminescence (PL). The results of un-doped (ZnO) and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) nanoparticles were also compared to investigate the structural characteristics and physical properties. XRD patterns of AZO powders were similar to those of ZnO powders, indicating that micro-Al ions were substituted for Zn atoms and there were no variations in the structure of the ZnO nanoparticles. From the XRD and SEM data, the grain size of the AZO nanoparticles increased from 34.41 to 40.14 nm when the annealing temperature was increased. The Raman intensity of the AZO nanoparticles (Al = 5 at.%) increased when the annealing temperature was increased. Increasing the degree of crystalline not only reduced the residual stress, but also improved the physical properties of the nanoparticles.

The crystallization and physical properties of Al-doped ZnO nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, K.J.; Fang, T.H.; Hung, F.Y.; Ji, L.W.; Chang, S.J.; Young, S.J.; Hsiao, Y.J.

2008-01-01

Un-doped Al (0-9 at.%) nanoparticles and doped ZnO powders were prepared by the sol-gel method. The nanoparticles were heated at 700-800 deg. C for 1 h in air and then analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectra and photoluminescence (PL). The results of un-doped (ZnO) and Al-doped ZnO (AZO) nanoparticles were also compared to investigate the structural characteristics and physical properties. XRD patterns of AZO powders were similar to those of ZnO powders, indicating that micro-Al ions were substituted for Zn atoms and there were no variations in the structure of the ZnO nanoparticles. From the XRD and SEM data, the grain size of the AZO nanoparticles increased from 34.41 to 40.14 nm when the annealing temperature was increased. The Raman intensity of the AZO nanoparticles (Al = 5 at.%) increased when the annealing temperature was increased. Increasing the degree of crystalline not only reduced the residual stress, but also improved the physical properties of the nanoparticles

Nanostructures and thin films of transparent conductive oxides studied by perturbed angular correlations

CERN Document Server

Barbosa, M B; Redondo-Cubero, A; Miranda, S M C; Simon, R; Kessler, P; Brandt, M; Henneberger, F; Nogales, E; Méndez, B; Johnston, K; Alves, E; Vianden, R; Araújo, J P; Lorenz, K; Correia, J G

2013-01-01

The versatility of perturbed angular correlations (PAC) in the study of nanostructures and thin films is demonstrated, namely for the specific cases of ZnO/Cd$_x$Zn$_{1-x}$O thin films and Ga$_2$O$_3$ powder pellets and nanowires, examples of transparent conductive oxides. PAC measurements as a function of annealing temperature were performed after implantation of $^{111m}$Cd$/^{111}$Cd (T$_{1/2}$=48$\\,$min.) and later compared to density functional theory simulations. For ZnO, the substitution of Cd probes at Zn sites was observed, as well as the formation of a probe-defect complex. The ternary Cd$_x$Zn$_{1-x}$O (x=0.16) showed good macroscopic crystal quality but revealed some clustering of local defects around the probe Cd atoms, which could not be annealed. In the Ga$_2$O$_3$ samples, the substitution of the Cd probes in the octahedral Ga-site was observed, demonstrating the potential of ion-implantation for the doping of nanowires.

Indium oxide-based transparent conductive films deposited by reactive sputtering using alloy targets

Science.gov (United States)

Miyazaki, Yusuke; Maruyama, Eri; Jia, Junjun; Machinaga, Hironobu; Shigesato, Yuzo

2017-04-01

High-quality transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films, Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) and In2O3-ZnO (IZO), were successfully deposited on either synthetic silica or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates in the “transition region” by reactive dc magnetron sputtering using In-Zn and In-Sn alloy targets, respectively, with a specially designed plasma emission feedback system. The composition, crystallinity, surface morphology, and electrical and optical properties of the films were analyzed. All of the IZO films were amorphous, whereas the ITO films were polycrystalline over a wide range of deposition conditions. The minimum resistivities of the IZO and ITO films deposited on the heated PET substrates at 150 °C were 3.3 × 10-4 and 5.4 × 10-4 Ω·cm, respectively. By applying rf bias to unheated PET substrates, ITO films with a resistivity of 4.4 × 10-4 Ω·cm were deposited at a dc self-bias voltage of -60 V.

Conductive Langmuir-Blodgett films. Doping with iodine or self-doping?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourgoin, Jean-Philippe

1991-01-01

In this research thesis dealing with molecular architecture, the author reports the testing of two strategies aiming at reducing the importance of defects in conductive Langmuir-Blodgett films, and at enabling the production of conductive mono-molecular layer. According to the first strategy, conductive films are obtained after doping based on the use of iodine vapours of an insulating precursor film of molecules derived from BEDT-TTF. The so-produced films display a high conductivity and can be used as sensitive elements in gas sensors, but remain macroscopically insulating, probably because molecular reorganisation, as shown by a study based on different techniques (IR and UV linear dichroism, Raman spectroscopy, X ray diffraction), generates too many defects. The second strategy, self-doping, is based on a mixing of two derivatives of the same electro-active nucleus (the TCNQ, tetracyanoquinodimethane), an amphiphilic one and a semi-amphiphilic one. This strategy opens new perspectives in molecular engineering as it is a general way to produce conductive LB films from TCNQ [fr

Density functional theory study of Al-doped hematite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivera, Richard; Stashans, Arvids; Piedra, Lorena; Pinto, Henry P

2012-01-01

Using first-principles density functional theory calculations within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) as well as the GGA+U approach, we study Al-doped α-Fe 2 O 3 crystals. Structural, electronic, magnetic and optical properties due to impurity incorporation have been investigated and discussed in detail. Atomic displacements and Bader charges on atoms have been computed, showing that Al dopant converts the chemical bonding in its neighbourhood into a more ionic one. This work enhances our knowledge about how a crystalline lattice reacts in the presence of an Al impurity. It was found that Al incorporation produces some local changes in the band structure of the material without the creation of local energy levels within the band gap. The results provide evidence for changes in the magnetic moments in the vicinity of a defect, which means that α-Fe 2 O 3 doped with aluminum might not act as an antiferromagnetic substance.

Experimental evidences for reducing Mg activation energy in high Al-content AlGaN alloy by MgGa δ doping in (AlN)m/(GaN)n superlattice

OpenAIRE

Xiao Wang; Wei Wang; Jingli Wang; Hao Wu; Chang Liu

2017-01-01

P-type doping in high Al-content AlGaN alloys is a main challenge for realizing AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet optoelectronics devices. According to the first-principles calculations, Mg activation energy may be reduced so that a high hole concentration can be obtained by introducing nanoscale (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice (SL) in Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy. In this work, experimental evidences were achieved by analyzing Mg doped high Al-content AlGaN alloys and Mg doped AlGaN SLs as well as MgG...

Ultraviolet Sensing by Al-doped ZnO Thin Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashid, A.R.A.; Menon, P.S.; Shaari, S.

2011-01-01

We report the fabrication and characterization of an ultraviolet photoconductive sensing by using Al-doped ZnO films. Undoped ZnO, 1 at.% and 2 at% of Al were prepared on quartz glass by sol gel method with annealing temperature of 500 degree Celsius for 1 hour. The presence of spherical shaped nanoparticles were detected for undoped ZnO by using FESEM. The absorption edge shifted to a lower wavelength by doping with Al and excitonic peak can be observed. The band gap values increased by adding Al. I-V curves reveal an improvement in electrical properties when the samples are illuminated by ultraviolet (UV) light with a wavelength of 365 nm. At 1 at.% of Al, the film have a larger increment in photocurrent response when illuminated with UV light compared to undoped ZnO and 2 at.% Al. The thin films have a longer recovery time than response time. (author)

Influence of Ag thickness of aluminum-doped ZnO/Ag/aluminum-doped ZnO thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Hung-Wei, E-mail: hwwu@mail.ksu.edu.tw [Department of Computer and Communication, Kun Shan University, No. 949, Dawan Rd., Yongkang Dist., Tainan City 710, Taiwan (China); Yang, Ru-Yuan [Graduate Institute of Materials Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, 1, Shuefu Rd., Neipu, Pingtung City 912, Taiwan (China); Hsiung, Chin-Min; Chu, Chien-Hsun [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, 1, Shuefu Rd., Neipu, Pingtung City 912, Taiwan (China)

2012-10-01

Highly conducting aluminum-doped ZnO (30 nm)/Ag (5-15 nm)/aluminum-doped ZnO (30 nm) multilayer thin films were deposited on glass substrate by rf magnetron sputtering (for top/bottom aluminum-doped ZnO films) and e-beam evaporation (for Ag film). The transmittance is more than 70% for wavelengths above 400 nm with the Ag layer thickness of 10 nm. The resistivity is 3.71 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} {Omega}-cm, which can be decreased to 3.8 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5} {Omega}-cm with the increase of the Ag layer thickness to 15 nm. The Haacke figure of merit has been calculated for the films with the best value being 8 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} {Omega}{sup -1}. It was shown that the multilayer thin films have potential for applications in optoelectronics. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High-quality Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/Ag/AZO Transparent Conducting Oxide films. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer AZO films (30 nm) made by RF sputtering; E-beam evaporation for Ag film (5-15 nm). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Influence of Ag thickness on optical and electrical properties were analyzed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High quality multilayer film with optimal intermediate Ag layer thickness of 10 nm. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer 3.71 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} {Omega}-cm resistivity, 91.89% transmittance at 470 nm obtained and reproducible.

Investigation of fluorine adsorption on nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 surface by first-principles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lv, Xiaojun; Xu, Zhenming; Li, Jie; Chen, Jiangan; Liu, Qingsheng

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: First-principles calculations indicate that MgAl_2O_4 surface is fluorine-loving, but hydrophobic. N doped MgAl_2O_4 (100) surface structure shows the highest fluorine adsorption performance and fluorine atom is more preferentially adsorbed on the Mg-Al bridge site. The fluorine adsorption intensity follow this order: N doped MgAl_2O_4 (100) > Al_2O_3 (0001) > MgAl_2O_4 (100) > MgO (100). N doped MgAl_2O_4 is a promising candidate for fluorine removal. - Highlights: • MgAl_2O_4 surface is fluorine-loving, not hydrophilic. • Fluorine preferentially adsorbs on the Mg-Al bridge site. • Adsorption intensity follow this order: N doped MgAl_2O_4 > Al_2O_3 > MgAl_2O_4 > MgO. • Excellent adsorption performance attributes to electron compensation of N atom. • Nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 is a promising candidate for fluorine removal. - Abstract: The nature of fluorine adsorption on pure and N doped MgAl_2O_4 surface has been investigated by first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory. Calculated results indicate that MgAl_2O_4 surface is fluorine-loving, not hydrophilic. Nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 (100) surface shows the highest fluorine adsorption performance and fluorine atom preferentially adsorbs on the Mg-Al bridge site. The fluorine adsorption intensity follow this order: Nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 (100) > Al_2O_3 (0001) > MgAl_2O_4 (100) > MgO (100). In-depth PDOS analysis suggested that 2p orbitals of F atom strongly hybridized with 3s- and 3p-orbitals of Al atom contribute to its high adsorption intensity. According to the analysis of Hirshfeld charge, the excellent fluorine adsorption performance of nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 attributes to the electron compensation effect of nitrogen atom and strong electrostatic interactions. All these evidences demonstrate a fact nitrogen doped MgAl_2O_4 is a promising candidate for fluorine removal.

Magnetostriction of the polycrystalline Fe80Al20 alloy doped with boron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bormio-Nunes, Cristina; Teodoro dos Santos, Claudio; Botani de Souza Dias, Mateus; Doerr, Mathias; Granovsky, Sergey; Loewenhaupt, Michael

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Fe 80 Al 20 polycrystalline alloy magnetostriction 40 ppm increased to 80 ppm due to 2% of B doping. ► B stabilizes α-FeAl phase and a coexistence of α-FeAl + Fe 3 Al improves magnetostriction. ► Presence of Fe 2 B phase causes domain rearrangement revealed by the decrease of the volume magnetostriction. - Abstract: The doping of Fe 80 Al 20 polycrystalline alloy with 2% of boron increased the total magnetostriction twofold compared to a sample without boron. A value close to 80 ppm was achieved at 300 K. The microstructures of the boron-doped alloys show a dendritically solidified matrix with interdendritic α-FeAl and/or Fe 3 Al and Fe 2 B eutectic between the grains. The XRD analysis reveals an increase in the volume fraction of α-FeAl and a correspondent decrease of the Fe 3 Al phase volume fraction as the boron content increases. The increase of the volume fraction of this tetragonal Fe 2 B phase in the samples doped with boron causes the decrease of the strong volume magnetostriction that was observed in the alloy without boron. There is some evidence that the improvement of the magnetostriction magnitude due to the addition of boron to the Fe 80 Al 20 alloy could reach the maximal magnetostriction if the 1:1 optimal ratio of the volume fractions of the α-FeAl and Fe 3 Al phases could be reached.

Transparent Conductive Ink for Additive Manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Patlan, X. J.; Rolin, T. D.

2017-01-01

NASA analyzes, tests, packages, and fabricates electrical, electronic, and electromechanical (EEE) parts. Nanotechnology is listed in NASA's Technology Roadmap as a key area to invest for further development.1 This research project focused on using nanotechnology to improve electroluminescent lighting in terms of additive manufacturing and to increase energy efficiency. Specifically, this project's goal was to produce a conductive but transparent printable ink that can be sprayed on any surface for use as one of the electrodes in electroluminescent device design. This innovative work is known as thick film dielectric electroluminescent (TDEL) technology. TDEL devices are used for "backlighting, illumination, and identification due to their tunable color output, scalability, and efficiency" (I.K. Small, T.D. Rolin, and A.D. Shields, "3D Printed Electroluminescent Light Panels," NASA Fiscal Year 2017 Center Innovation Fund Proposal, unpublished data, 2017). These devices use a 'front-to-back' printing method, where the substrate is the transparent layer, and the dielectric and phosphor are layered on top. This project is a first step in the process of creating a 3D printable 'back-to-front' electroluminescent device. Back-to-front 3D-printed devices are beneficial because they can be printed onto different substrates and embedded in different surfaces, and the substrate is not required to be transparent, all because the light is emitted from the top surface through the transparent conductor. Advances in this area will help further development of printing TDEL devices on an array of different surfaces. Figure 1 demonstrates the layering of the two electrodes that are aligned in a parallel plate capacitor structure (I.K. Small, T.D. Rolin, and A.D. Shields, "3D Printed Electroluminescent Light Panels," NASA Fiscal Year 2017 Center Innovation Fund Proposal, unpublished data, 2017). Voltage is applied across the device, and the subsequent electron excitation results in

High power pulsed magnetron sputtering of transparent conducting oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sittinger, V.; Ruske, F.; Werner, W.; Jacobs, C.; Szyszka, B.; Christie, D.J.

2008-01-01

High power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) has been used in order to study the deposition of transparent conducting oxides. We summarize the studies carried out on different materials (indium tin oxide-ITO and aluminium-doped zinc oxide-AZO) using rather different technological approaches, namely sputtering of ceramic targets and reactive sputtering. For the deposition of AZO reactive HPPMS for metallic targets has been used. A feedback control loop has been implemented in order to stabilize the discharge at any given setpoint on the hysteresis curve. The hysteresis was also found to have a rather untypical form. Reactive HPPMS was found to be a promising tool for obtaining high quality films of low total thickness. In the case of ITO deposition a ceramic target has been used. The process has been characterized in terms of its plasma emission and increasing indium ionization was found for higher peak power densities. The properties of the deposited films were compared to DC sputtered films. While for DC sputtering the choice of oxygen addition and shieldings is crucial for determining surface morphology and resistivity, in HPPMS sputtering peak power density has been found to be a good parameter for influencing the crystal structure. The morphologies obtained differ strongly from those seen in DC sputtering. At high power densities films with low surface roughness and excellent resistivity could be deposited without the use of shieldings

Relation between secondary doping and phase separation in PEDOT:PSS films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Donoval, Martin; Micjan, Michal; Novota, Miroslav; Nevrela, Juraj; Kovacova, Sona; Pavuk, Milan; Juhasz, Peter; Jagelka, Martin; Kovac, Jaroslav; Jakabovic, Jan [Institute of Electronics and Photonics, Slovak University of Technology, Ilkovičova 3, Bratislava 81219 (Slovakia); Cigan, Marek [Institute of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Science, Comenius University, Mlynska dolina CH-2, Ilkovicova 6, Bratislava 84215 (Slovakia); Weis, Martin, E-mail: martin.weis@stuba.sk [Institute of Electronics and Photonics, Slovak University of Technology, Ilkovičova 3, Bratislava 81219 (Slovakia)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Surface morphology of highly conductive polymer was investigated. • Phase separation due to secondary doping is an origin of conductivity enhancement. • Phase separation is not dependent on secondary dopant type. - Abstract: Conductive copolymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has been proposed as an alternative to transparent conductive oxides because of its flexibility, transparency, and low-cost production. Four different secondary dopants, namely N,N-dimethylformamide, ethyleneglycol, sorbitol, and dimethyl sulfoxide, have been used to improve the conductivity. The relation between the structure changes and conductivity enhancement is studied in detail. Atomic force microscopy study of the thin film surface reveals the phase separation of PEDOT and PSS. We demonstrate that secondary doping induces the phase separation as well as the conductivity enhancement.

Investigation of blue luminescence in Mg doped AlN films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Xiliang; Xiong, Juan, E-mail: xiongjuana@163.com; Zhang, Weihai; Liu, Lei; Gu, Haoshuang, E-mail: guhsh@hubu.edu.cn

2015-02-05

Highlights: • AlN films doped with 0.8–4.4 at.% Mg were deposited by magnetron sputtering. • Structural and photoluminescence properties of Mg-doped AlN films were synthesized in detailed. • A broad blue band centered at 420 nm and 440 nm was observed in Mg-doped AlN films. • An enhancement of A1 (TO) mod and a slightly blue-shift of E2 (high) mode were observed. - Abstract: The Al{sub 1−x}Mg{sub x}N thin films were deposited on (1 0 0) silicon substrates by magnetron sputtering. The structural and photoluminescence properties of the films with varying Mg concentrations were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectra and photoluminescence (PL), respectively. The results clearly showed that the Mg atoms successfully incorporated into AlN, while the crystal structure of the films was maintained. The Raman spectra of Al{sub 1−x}Mg{sub x}N films reveals the enhancement of A{sub 1} (TO) mode, a slightly blue-shift and an augment in FWHM for E{sub 2} (high) phonon mode with increasing Mg content, which can be associated with the deterioration of (0 0 2) orientation and the appearance of (1 0 0) orientation. A broad blue band centered at 420 nm and 440 nm was observed in Mg-doped AlN films. It was suggested that the transitions from the shallow donor level not only to the ground state but also to the excited states of the deep level was responsible for the broad blue emission band. This work indicates the AlN film for the application in lighting emission devices.

Nanostructured transparent conducting oxide electrochromic device

Science.gov (United States)

Milliron, Delia; Tangirala, Ravisubhash; Llordes, Anna; Buonsanti, Raffaella; Garcia, Guillermo

2016-05-17

The embodiments described herein provide an electrochromic device. In an exemplary embodiment, the electrochromic device includes (1) a substrate and (2) a film supported by the substrate, where the film includes transparent conducting oxide (TCO) nanostructures. In a further embodiment, the electrochromic device further includes (a) an electrolyte, where the nanostructures are embedded in the electrolyte, resulting in an electrolyte, nanostructure mixture positioned above the substrate and (b) a counter electrode positioned above the mixture. In a further embodiment, the electrochromic device further includes a conductive coating deposited on the substrate between the substrate and the mixture. In a further embodiment, the electrochromic device further includes a second substrate positioned above the mixture.

Control al doping Compromiso de Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Prieto

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Este documento da a conocer la importante noticia de la aprobación, por parte del Comité Olímpico Internacional (COl, de un laboratorio colombiano, para el control al doping, a la vez que aprovecha la oportunidad para ampliar alguna información sobre este tema.

Transparent conductive graphene electrode in GaN-based ultra-violet light emitting diodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Byung-Jae; Mastro, Michael A; Hite, Jennifer; Eddy, Charles R; Kim, Jihyun

2010-10-25

We report a graphene-based transparent conductive electrode for use in ultraviolet (UV) GaN light emitting diodes (LEDs). A few-layer graphene (FLG) layer was mechanically deposited. UV light at a peak wavelength of 368 nm was successfully emitted by the FLG layer as transparent contact to p-GaN. The emission of UV light through the thin graphene layer was brighter than through the thick graphene layer. The thickness of the graphene layer was characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy. Our results indicate that this novel graphene-based transparent conductive electrode holds great promise for use in UV optoelectronics for which conventional ITO is less transparent than graphene.

Electrical and optical properties of Zn–In–Sn–O transparent conducting thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carreras, Paz; Antony, Aldrin; Rojas, Fredy; Bertomeu, Joan

2011-01-01

Indium tin oxide (ITO) is one of the widely used transparent conductive oxides (TCO) for application as transparent electrode in thin film silicon solar cells or thin film transistors owing to its low resistivity and high transparency. Nevertheless, indium is a scarce and expensive element and ITO films require high deposition temperature to achieve good electrical and optical properties. On the other hand, although not competing as ITO, doped Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is a promising and cheaper alternative. Therefore, our strategy has been to deposit ITO and ZnO multicomponent thin films at room temperature by radiofrequency (RF) magnetron co-sputtering in order to achieve TCOs with reduced indium content. Thin films of the quaternary system Zn–In–Sn–O (ZITO) with improved electrical and optical properties have been achieved. The samples were deposited by applying different RF powers to ZnO target while keeping a constant RF power to ITO target. This led to ZITO films with zinc content ratio varying between 0 and 67%. The optical, electrical and morphological properties have been thoroughly studied. The film composition was analysed by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. The films with 17% zinc content ratio showed the lowest resistivity (6.6 × 10 −4 Ω cm) and the highest transmittance (above 80% in the visible range). Though X-ray Diffraction studies showed amorphous nature for the films, using High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy we found that the microstructure of the films consisted of nanometric crystals embedded in a compact amorphous matrix. The effect of post deposition annealing on the films in both reducing and oxidizing atmospheres were studied. The changes were found to strongly depend on the zinc content ratio in the films.

Fluctuation Induced Conductivity Studies of 100 MeV Oxygen Ion Irradiated Pb Doped Bi-2223 Superconductors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Banerjee, Tamalika; Kumar, Ravi; Kanjilal, D.; Ramasamy, S.

2000-01-01

We report on 100 MeV oxygen ion irradiation in Pb doped Bi-2223 superconductors. Resistivity measurements reveal that both grains as well as the grain boundaries are affected by such irradiation. An analysis of the excess conductivity has been made within the framework of Aslamazov-Larkin (AL) and

Effect of thallium doping on the electrical and optical properties of CdO thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dakhel, A.A.

2008-01-01

A series of lightly Tl-doped CdO thin films (1%,1.5%,2%,2.5%, and 3%) have been prepared by a vacuum evaporation method on glass and Si wafer substrates. The prepared films were subjected to structural study by X-ray diffraction, optical characterisation by UV-VIS-NIR absorption spectroscopy, and dc-electrical measurements. Experimental data indicate that Tl 3+ doping slightly stretching stresses the CdO crystalline structure and changes the optical and electrical properties. It was observed that Tl doping widens the energy gap of CdO from 2.22 eV to 2.83 eV via a Burstein-Moss energy level shift. The band gap shrinkage was also observed for carrier concentrations N el >1.13 x 10 20 cm -3 , which was explained by merging of the impurity band with the conduction band. The optical properties were explained by using Hamberg et al.'s band-to-band transitions and classical Drude theory. The electrical behaviour of the samples shows that they are degenerate semiconductors. The 2% Tl-doped CdO sample shows an increase in its mobility by about 1.4 times, conductivity by 5 times, and carrier concentration by 3.6 times relative to the undoped CdO film. From the transparent-conducting-oxide point of view, Tl is sufficiently effective for CdO doping but does not emulate other dopants like In,Sn,Sc, and Y. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Assembly and benign step-by-step post-treatment of oppositely charged reduced graphene oxides for transparent conductive thin films with multiple applications

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jiayi; He, Junhui

2012-05-01

We report a new approach for the fabrication of flexible and transparent conducting thin films via the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of oppositely charged reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and the benign step-by-step post-treatment on substrates with a low glass-transition temperature, such as glass and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The RGO dispersions and films were characterized by means of atomic force microscopy, UV-visible absorption spectrophotometery, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, contact angle/interface systems and a four-point probe. It was found that the graphene thin films exhibited a significant increase in electrical conductivity after the step-by-step post-treatments. The graphene thin film on the PET substrate had a good conductivity retainability after multiple cycles (30 cycles) of excessively bending (bending angle: 180°), while tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films on PET showed a significant decrease in electrical conductivity. In addition, the graphene thin film had a smooth surface with tunable wettability.We report a new approach for the fabrication of flexible and transparent conducting thin films via the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of oppositely charged reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and the benign step-by-step post-treatment on substrates with a low glass-transition temperature, such as glass and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). The RGO dispersions and films were characterized by means of atomic force microscopy, UV-visible absorption spectrophotometery, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, contact angle/interface systems and a four-point probe. It was found that the graphene thin films exhibited a significant increase in electrical conductivity after the step-by-step post-treatments. The graphene thin film on the PET substrate had a good conductivity retainability after multiple cycles (30 cycles) of excessively bending (bending angle: 180°), while tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) thin films on

Comparative study of zinc oxide and aluminum doped zinc oxide transparent thin films grown by direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suchea, M.; Christoulakis, S.; Katsarakis, N.; Kitsopoulos, T.; Kiriakidis, G.

2007-01-01

Pure and aluminum (Al) doped zinc oxide (ZnO and ZAO) thin films have been grown using direct current (dc) magnetron sputtering from pure metallic Zn and ceramic ZnO targets, as well as from Al-doped metallic ZnAl2at.% and ceramic ZnAl2at.%O targets at room temperature (RT). The effects of target composition on the film's surface topology, crystallinity, and optical transmission have been investigated for various oxygen partial pressures in the sputtering atmosphere. It has been shown that Al-doped ZnO films sputtered from either metallic or ceramic targets exhibit different surface morphology than the undoped ZnO films, while their preferential crystalline growth orientation revealed by X-ray diffraction remains always the (002). More significantly, Al-doping leads to a larger increase of the optical transmission and energy gap (E g ) of the metallic than of the ceramic target prepared films

Electron irradiation response on Ge and Al-doped SiO 2 optical fibres

Science.gov (United States)

Yaakob, N. H.; Wagiran, H.; Hossain, I.; Ramli, A. T.; Bradley, D. A.; Hashim, S.; Ali, H.

2011-05-01

This paper describes the thermoluminescence response, sensitivity, stability and reproducibility of SiO 2 optical fibres with various electron energies and doses. The TL materials that comprise Al- and Ge-doped silica fibres were used in this experiment. The TL results are compared with those of the commercially available TLD-100. The doped SiO 2 optical fibres and TLD-100 are placed in a solid phantom and irradiated with 6, 9 and 12 MeV electron beams at doses ranging from 0.2 to 4.0 Gy using the LINAC at Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It was found that the commercially available Al- and Ge-doped optical fibres have a linear dose-TL signal relationship. The intensity of TL response of Ge-doped fibre is markedly greater than that of the Al-doped fibre.

Electron irradiation response on Ge and Al-doped SiO2 optical fibres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaakob, N.H.; Wagiran, H.; Hossain, I.; Ramli, A.T.; Bradley, D.A; Hashim, S.; Ali, H.

2011-01-01

This paper describes the thermoluminescence response, sensitivity, stability and reproducibility of SiO 2 optical fibres with various electron energies and doses. The TL materials that comprise Al- and Ge-doped silica fibres were used in this experiment. The TL results are compared with those of the commercially available TLD-100. The doped SiO 2 optical fibres and TLD-100 are placed in a solid phantom and irradiated with 6, 9 and 12 MeV electron beams at doses ranging from 0.2 to 4.0 Gy using the LINAC at Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It was found that the commercially available Al- and Ge-doped optical fibres have a linear dose-TL signal relationship. The intensity of TL response of Ge-doped fibre is markedly greater than that of the Al-doped fibre.

Highly Al-doped TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles produced by Ball Mill Method: structural and electronic characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Desireé M. de los, E-mail: desire.delossantos@uca.es; Navas, Javier, E-mail: javier.navas@uca.es; Sánchez-Coronilla, Antonio; Alcántara, Rodrigo; Fernández-Lorenzo, Concha; Martín-Calleja, Joaquín

2015-10-15

Highlights: • Highly Al-doped TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles were synthesized using a Ball Mill Method. • Al doping delayed anatase to rutile phase transformation. • Al doping allow controlling the structural and electronic properties of nanoparticles. - Abstract: This study presents an easy method for synthesizing highly doped TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles. The Ball Mill method was used to synthesize pure and Al-doped titanium dioxide, with an atomic percentage up to 15.7 at.% Al/(Al + Ti). The samples were annealed at 773 K, 973 K and 1173 K, and characterized using ICP-AES, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR, TG, STEM, XPS, and UV–vis spectroscopy. The effect of doping and the calcination temperature on the structure and properties of the nanoparticles were studied. The results show high levels of internal doping due to the substitution of Ti{sup 4+} ions by Al{sup 3+} in the TiO{sub 2} lattice. Furthermore, anatase to rutile transformation occurs at higher temperatures when the percentage of doping increases. Therefore, Al doping allows us to control the structural and electronic properties of the nanoparticle synthesized. So, it is possible to obtain nanoparticles with anatase as predominant phase in a higher range of temperature.

Metal-electrode-free Window-like Organic Solar Cells with p-Doped Carbon Nanotube Thin-film Electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Il; Delacou, Clement; Kaskela, Antti; Kauppinen, Esko I.; Maruyama, Shigeo; Matsuo, Yutaka

2016-08-01

Organic solar cells are flexible and inexpensive, and expected to have a wide range of applications. Many transparent organic solar cells have been reported and their success hinges on full transparency and high power conversion efficiency. Recently, carbon nanotubes and graphene, which meet these criteria, have been used in transparent conductive electrodes. However, their use in top electrodes has been limited by mechanical difficulties in fabrication and doping. Here, expensive metal top electrodes were replaced with high-performance, easy-to-transfer, aerosol-synthesized carbon nanotubes to produce transparent organic solar cells. The carbon nanotubes were p-doped by two new methods: HNO3 doping via ‘sandwich transfer’, and MoOx thermal doping via ‘bridge transfer’. Although both of the doping methods improved the performance of the carbon nanotubes and the photovoltaic performance of devices, sandwich transfer, which gave a 4.1% power conversion efficiency, was slightly more effective than bridge transfer, which produced a power conversion efficiency of 3.4%. Applying a thinner carbon nanotube film with 90% transparency decreased the efficiency to 3.7%, which was still high. Overall, the transparent solar cells had an efficiency of around 50% that of non-transparent metal-based solar cells (7.8%).

Grain growth control and transparency in spark plasma sintered self-doped alumina materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suarez, M.; Fernandez, A.; Menendez, J.L.; Torrecillas, R.

2009-01-01

Doping alumina particles with aluminum alkoxides allows dense spark plasma sintered (SPSed) materials to be obtained that have a refined grain size compared to pure materials, which is critical for their transparency. An optical model considering pore and grain size distributions has been developed to obtain information about porosity in dense materials. This work suggests that the atomic diffusion mechanisms do not depend on the sintering technique. A reduction in the activation energy by a factor of 2 has been found in SPSed materials.

Improvement of the effective work function and transmittance of thick indium tin oxide/ultrathin ruthenium doped indium oxide bilayers as transparent conductive oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taweesup, Kattareeya; Yamamoto, Ippei; Chikyow, Toyohiro; Lothongkum, Gobboon; Tsukagoshi, Kazutoshi; Ohishi, Tomoji; Tungasmita, Sukkaneste; Visuttipitukul, Patama; Ito, Kazuhiro; Takahashi, Makoto; Nabatame, Toshihide

2016-01-01

Ruthenium doped indium oxide (In_1_−_xRu_xO_y) films fabricated using DC magnetron co-sputtering with In_2O_3 and Ru targets were investigated for use as transparent conductive oxides. The In_1_−_xRu_xO_y films had an amorphous structure in the wide compositional range of x = 0.3–0.8 and had an extremely smooth surface. The transmittance and resistivity of the In_1_−_xRu_xO_y films increased as the Ru content increased. The transmittance of the In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y film improved to over 80% when the film thickness was less than 5 nm, while the specific resistivity (ρ) was kept to a low value of 1.6 × 10"−"4 Ω cm. Based on these experimental data, we demonstrated that thick indium tin oxide (In_0_._9Sn_0_._1O_y, ITO) (150 nm)/ultrathin In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y (3 nm) bilayers have a high effective work function of 5.3 eV, transmittance of 86%, and low ρ of 9.2 × 10"−"5 Ω cm. This ITO/In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y bilayer is a candidate for use as an anode for organic electroluminescent devices. - Highlights: • We investigated characteristics of thick ITO/ultrathin Ru doped In_2O_3 bilayers. • Effect of Ru addition in In_2O_3 results in smooth surface because of an amorphous structure. • The In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y film with less than 5 nm improves to high transmittance over 80%. • ITO/In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y bilayer has a high effective work function of 5.3 eV. • We conclude that ITO/ultrathin In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y bilayer is a candidate as an anode of OEL.

Photochemical Hydrogen Doping Induced Embedded Two-Dimensional Metallic Channel Formation in InGaZnO at Room Temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Myeong-Ho; Lee, Young-Ahn; Kim, Jinseo; Park, Jucheol; Ahn, Seungbae; Jeon, Ki-Joon; Kim, Jeong Won; Choi, Duck-Kyun; Seo, Hyungtak

2015-10-27

The photochemical tunability of the charge-transport mechanism in metal-oxide semiconductors is of great interest since it may offer a facile but effective semiconductor-to-metal transition, which results from photochemically modified electronic structures for various oxide-based device applications. This might provide a feasible hydrogen (H)-radical doping to realize the effectively H-doped metal oxides, which has not been achieved by thermal and ion-implantation technique in a reliable and controllable way. In this study, we report a photochemical conversion of InGaZnO (IGZO) semiconductor to a transparent conductor via hydrogen doping to the local nanocrystallites formed at the IGZO/glass interface at room temperature. In contrast to thermal or ionic hydrogen doping, ultraviolet exposure of the IGZO surface promotes a photochemical reaction with H radical incorporation to surface metal-OH layer formation and bulk H-doping which acts as a tunable and stable highly doped n-type doping channel and turns IGZO to a transparent conductor. This results in the total conversion of carrier conduction property to the level of metallic conduction with sheet resistance of ∼16 Ω/□, room temperature Hall mobility of 11.8 cm(2) V(-1) sec(-1), the carrier concentration at ∼10(20) cm(-3) without any loss of optical transparency. We demonstrated successful applications of photochemically highly n-doped metal oxide via optical dose control to transparent conductor with excellent chemical and optical doping stability.

Graphene-based transparent electrodes for hybrid solar cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pengfei eLi

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The graphene-based transparent and conductive films were demonstrated to be cost-effective electrodes working in organic-inorganic hybrid Schottky solar cells. Large area graphene films were produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD on copper foils and transferred onto glass as transparent electrodes. The hybrid solar cell devices consist of solution processed poly (3, 4-ethlenedioxythiophene: poly (styrenesulfonate (PEDOT: PSS which is sandwiched between silicon wafer and graphene electrode. The solar cells based on graphene electrodes, especially those doped with HNO3, has comparable performance to the reference devices using commercial indium tin oxide (ITO. Our work suggests that graphene-based transparent electrode is a promising candidate to replace ITO.

Er3+-Al2O3 nanoparticles doping of borosilicate glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Massera, Jonathan; Petit, Laeticia; Hupa, Leena; Hupa, Mikko; Koponen, Joona; Glorieux, Benoit

2015-01-01

Novel borosilicate glasses were developed by adding in the glass batch Er 3+ -Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles synthetized by using a soft chemical method. A similar nanoparticle doping with modified chemical vapour deposition (MCVD) process was developed to increase the efficiency of the amplifying silica fibre in comparison to using MCVD and solution doping. It was shown that with the melt quench technique, a Er 3+ -Al 2 O 3 nanoparticle doping neither leads to an increase in the Er 3+ luminescence properties nor allows one to control the rare-earth chemical environment in a borosilicate glass. The site of Er 3+ in the Er 3+ -Al 2 O 3 nanoparticle containing glass seems to be similar as in glasses with the same composition prepared using standard raw materials. We suspect the Er 3+ ions to diffuse from the nanoparticles into the glass matrix. There was no clear evidence of the presence of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles in the glasses after melting. (author)

P-type Al-doped Cr-deficient CrN thin films for thermoelectrics

Science.gov (United States)

le Febvrier, Arnaud; Van Nong, Ngo; Abadias, Gregory; Eklund, Per

2018-05-01

Thermoelectric properties of chromium nitride (CrN)-based films grown on c-plane sapphire by dc reactive magnetron sputtering were investigated. In this work, aluminum doping was introduced in CrN (degenerate n-type semiconductor) by co-deposition. Under the present deposition conditions, over-stoichiometry in nitrogen (CrN1+δ) rock-salt structure is obtained. A p-type conduction is observed with nitrogen-rich CrN combined with aluminum doping. The Cr0.96Al0.04N1.17 film exhibited a high Seebeck coefficient and a sufficient power factor at 300 °C. These results are a starting point for designing p-type/n-type thermoelectric materials based on chromium nitride films, which are cheap and routinely grown on the industrial scale.

Comparing the fundamental physics and device performance of transparent, conductive nanostructured networks with conventional transparent conducting oxides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barnes, Teresa M.; Reese, Matthew O.; Bergeson, Jeremy D.; Larsen, Brian A.; Blackburn, Jeffrey L.; Beard, Matthew C.; Bult, Justin; Van de Lagemaat, Jao [NREL, 1617 Cole Blvd., Golden, CO 80401 (United States)

2012-03-15

Networks made of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and metallic nanowire networks, graphene, and ultra-thin metal films have all been proposed as replacements for transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) in photovoltaic and other applications. However, only limited comparisons of nanostructured networks and TCOs are available. Several common figures of merit that are often used to compare the electrical and optical performance of the transparent contacts are evaluated here, and the merits of each method of comparison are discussed. Calculating the current loss due to absorption in the TCO is the most useful metric for evaluating new materials for use in solar cells with well-defined sheet resistance requirements and known quantum efficiencies. The 'Haacke' figure of merit, {phi}{sub H}, correlates fairly well with current loss and is a good metric for evaluating electro-optical performance for more general applications. The analyses presented here demonstrate that silver nanowire networks are much closer to achieving optimal electrical and optical properties than carbon-based networks. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Study on the electrical and optical properties of Ag/Al-doped ZnO coatings deposited by electron beam evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sahu, D.R.; Lin, S.-Y.; Huang, J.-L.

2007-01-01

A layer of silver was deposited onto the surface of glass substrates, coated with AZO (Al-doped ZnO), to form Ag/AZO film structures, using e-beam evaporation techniques. The electrical and optical properties of AZO, Ag and Ag/AZO film structures were studied. The deposition of Ag layer on the surface of AZO films resulted in lowering the effective electrical resistivity with a slight reduction of their optical transmittance. Ag (11 nm)/AZO (25 nm) film structure, with an accuracy of ±0.5 nm for the thickness shows a sheet resistance as low as 5.6 ± 0.5 Ω/sq and a transmittance of about 66 ± 2%. A coating consisting of AZO (25 nm)/Ag (11 nm)/AZO (25 nm) trilayer structure, exhibits a resistance of 7.7 ± 0.5 Ω/sq and a high transmittance of 85 ± 2%. The coatings have satisfactory properties of low resistance, high transmittance and highest figure of merit for application in optoelectronics devices including flat displays, thin films transistors and solar cells as transparent conductive electrodes

Physical properties and heterojunction device demonstration of aluminum-doped ZnO thin films synthesized at room ambient via sol-gel method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karaagac, Hakan, E-mail: hkaraagac@ucdavis.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Yengel, Emre; Saif Islam, M. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616 (United States)

2012-04-25

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Undoped and Al doped ZnO (AZO) thin films were successfully prepared using sol-gel technique. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Structural analysis has revealed that Al doping has a significant influence on preferential orientation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It has been observed that wrinkles forms on the surface of films when annealed with a fast heat ramp up rate. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Optical analysis has revealed that that the band gap energy of ZnO thin film increases with increasing Al doping concentration. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The lowest resistivity is observed for 1% Al ZnO thin film, which is 2.2 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -2} ({Omega} cm). - Abstract: ZnO and some of its ternary wide-bandgap alloys offer interesting opportunities for designing materials with tunable band gaps, strong piezoresistivity and controlled electrical conductance with high optical transparency. Synthesizing these materials on arbitrary substrates using low-cost and unconventional techniques can help in integrating semiconductors with different physical, electrical, and optical characteristics on a single substrate for heterogeneous integration of multifunctional devices. Here we report the successful synthesis of aluminum (Al) doped ZnO (AZO) thin films on soda-lime glass, silicon and fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) pre-coated glass substrates by using sol-gel deposition method at ambient condition. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that varying degree of Al doping significantly impacts the crystal orientation, semiconductor bandgap and optical transparency of the film. Crystal structure of the film is also found to be strongly correlated to the characteristics of the substrate material. The impact of heating rate during post annealing process is studied and optimized in order to improve the surface morphology of the deposited films. Optical characterizations have revealed that bandgap energy of AZO films can be tuned

Transparent resistive switching memory using aluminum oxide on a flexible substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeom, Seung-Won; Kim, Tan-Young; Ha, Hyeon Jun; Ju, Byeong-Kwon; Shin, Sang-Chul; Shim, Jae Won; Lee, Yun-Hi

2016-01-01

Resistive switching memory (ReRAM) has attracted much attention in recent times owing to its fast switching, simple structure, and non-volatility. Flexible and transparent electronic devices have also attracted considerable attention. We therefore fabricated an Al 2 O 3 -based ReRAM with transparent indium-zinc-oxide (IZO) electrodes on a flexible substrate. The device transmittance was found to be higher than 80% in the visible region (400–800 nm). Bended states (radius = 10 mm) of the device also did not affect the memory performance because of the flexibility of the two transparent IZO electrodes and the thin Al 2 O 3 layer. The conduction mechanism of the resistive switching of our device was explained by ohmic conduction and a Poole–Frenkel emission model. The conduction mechanism was proved by oxygen vacancies in the Al 2 O 3 layer, as analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. These results encourage the application of ReRAM in flexible and transparent electronic devices. (letter)

Transparent resistive switching memory using aluminum oxide on a flexible substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Yeom, Seung-Won; Shin, Sang-Chul; Kim, Tan-Young; Ha, Hyeon Jun; Lee, Yun-Hi; Shim, Jae Won; Ju, Byeong-Kwon

2016-02-01

Resistive switching memory (ReRAM) has attracted much attention in recent times owing to its fast switching, simple structure, and non-volatility. Flexible and transparent electronic devices have also attracted considerable attention. We therefore fabricated an Al2O3-based ReRAM with transparent indium-zinc-oxide (IZO) electrodes on a flexible substrate. The device transmittance was found to be higher than 80% in the visible region (400-800 nm). Bended states (radius = 10 mm) of the device also did not affect the memory performance because of the flexibility of the two transparent IZO electrodes and the thin Al2O3 layer. The conduction mechanism of the resistive switching of our device was explained by ohmic conduction and a Poole-Frenkel emission model. The conduction mechanism was proved by oxygen vacancies in the Al2O3 layer, as analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. These results encourage the application of ReRAM in flexible and transparent electronic devices.

Transparent conducting AZO and ITO films produced by pulsed laser ablation at 355 nm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thestrup, B.; Schou, Jørgen

1999-01-01

Thin films of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and indium tin oxide (ITO) were deposited on glass substrates by laser ablation in an oxygen environment. The electrical and optical properties of films grown at various oxygen pressures were compared. With no substrate heating, highly transparent...... and conducting films were obtained with oxygen pressures between 15 and 23 mTorr for both materials. We obtained a specific resistivity of 1.8 x 10(-3) Omega cm for AZO and 1.1 x 10(-3) Omega cm for ITO. By heating the substrate to 160 degrees C or 200 degrees C, the resistivity was further reduced to 1.1 x 10......(-3) Omega cm for AZO and 3.9 x 10(-4) Omega cm for ITO. The average transmission of visible light (450-750 MI) was between 82% and 98% in most cases. The results suggest that AZO is a promising alternative to ITO....

High rate deposition of transparent conducting oxide thin films by vacuum arc plasma evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minami, Tadatsugu; Ida, Satoshi; Miyata, Toshihiro

2002-01-01

Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films have been deposited at a high rate above 370 nm/min by vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) using sintered oxide fragments as the source material. It was found that the deposition rate of TCO films was strongly dependent on the deposition pressure, whereas the obtained electrical properties were relatively independent of the pressure. Resistivities of 5.6x10 -4 and 2.3x10 -4 Ω·cm and an average transmittance above 80% (with substrate included) in the visible range were obtained in Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films deposited at 100 and 350 deg. C, respectively. In addition, a resistivity as low as 1.4x10 -4 Ω·cm and an average transmittance above 80% were also obtained in indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films deposited at 300 deg. C. The deposited TCO films exhibited uniform distributions of resistivity and thickness on large area substrates

High rate deposition of transparent conducting oxide thin films by vacuum arc plasma evaporation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Minami, Tadatsugu; Ida, Satoshi; Miyata, Toshihiro

2002-09-02

Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films have been deposited at a high rate above 370 nm/min by vacuum arc plasma evaporation (VAPE) using sintered oxide fragments as the source material. It was found that the deposition rate of TCO films was strongly dependent on the deposition pressure, whereas the obtained electrical properties were relatively independent of the pressure. Resistivities of 5.6x10{sup -4} and 2.3x10{sup -4} {omega}{center_dot}cm and an average transmittance above 80% (with substrate included) in the visible range were obtained in Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films deposited at 100 and 350 deg. C, respectively. In addition, a resistivity as low as 1.4x10{sup -4} {omega}{center_dot}cm and an average transmittance above 80% were also obtained in indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films deposited at 300 deg. C. The deposited TCO films exhibited uniform distributions of resistivity and thickness on large area substrates.

Superconducting properties of Zn and Al double-doped Mg1-x(Zn0.5Al0.5)xB2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, G.J.; Grivel, Jean-Claude; Abrahamsen, A.B.

2004-01-01

(XRD), ac susceptibility, magnetization and resistivity. The double doping leads to decreases in both the lattice parameters a and c, and the T-c decreases with increasing dopant content. A systematical comparison with Al doped- and Li, Al double doped MgB2 of structure, superconducting transition......A series of polycrystalline samples of Mg1-x(Zn0.5Al0.5)(x)B-2 (0less than or equal toxless than or equal to0.8) were prepared by solid state reaction method and their structure, superconducting transition temperature (T-c) and transport properties were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction...

Cu-doped AlN: A possible spinaligner at room-temperature grown by molecular beam epitaxy?

Science.gov (United States)

Ganz, P. R.; Schaadt, D. M.

2011-12-01

Cu-doped AlN was prepared by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy on C-plane sapphire substrates. The growth conditions were investigated for different Cu to Al flux ratios from 1.0% to 4.0%. The formation of Cu-Al alloys on the surface was observed for all doping level. In contrast to Cu-doped GaN, all samples showed diamagnetic behavior determined by SQUID measurements.

Effect of Al and Fe doping in ZnO on magnetic and magneto-transport properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumar, Santosh; Deepika; Tripathi, Malvika; Vaibhav, Pratyush; Kumar, Aman; Kumar, Ritesh; Choudhary, R.J.; Phase, D.M.

2016-01-01

The structural, magnetic and magneto-transport of undoped ZnO, Zn_0_._9_7Al_0_._0_3O, Zn_0_._9_5Fe_0_._0_5O and Zn_0_._9_2Al_0_._0_3Fe_0_._0_5O thin films grown on Si(100) substrate using pulsed laser deposition were investigated. The single phase nature of the films is confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The possibility of Fe metal cluster in Fe doped/co-doped films is ruled out by Fe 2p core level photoelectron spectra. From O 1s core level spectra it is observed that oxygen vacancy is present in all the films. The undoped ZnO film shows magnetic ordering below ∼175 K, whereas Fe doped/codoped samples show magnetic ordering even at 300 K. The Al doped sample reveals paramagnetic behavior. The magneto-transport measurements suggest that the mobile carriers undergo exchange interaction with local magnetic moments. - Highlights: • Al, Fe, Al–Fe co-doped and undoped films of ZnO are deposited on Si by PLD. • Single phase (002) oriented Wurtzite ZnO phase is formed for all films. • Fe doped and Fe–Al co-doped ZnO films reveal magnetic hysteresis at 300 K. • Negative magnetoresistance is observed in undoped and Fe–Al co-doped ZnO film. • It is apparent that charge carriers are coupled with the local magnetic moment.

Effect of Al and Fe doping in ZnO on magnetic and magneto-transport properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Santosh, E-mail: skphysics@yahoo.co.in [Department of Physics, College of Commerce, Arts & Science, Patna 800020, Bihar (India); Deepika [Department of Physics, College of Commerce, Arts & Science, Patna 800020, Bihar (India); Tripathi, Malvika [UGC DAE, Consortium for scientific research, Indore 452001, Madhya Pradesh (India); Vaibhav, Pratyush [Jaypee University of Engineering and Technology, Guna 473226, Madhya Pradesh (India); Kumar, Aman [Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (India); Kumar, Ritesh [Department of Physics, College of Commerce, Arts & Science, Patna 800020, Bihar (India); Choudhary, R.J., E-mail: ram@csr.res.in [UGC DAE, Consortium for scientific research, Indore 452001, Madhya Pradesh (India); Phase, D.M. [UGC DAE, Consortium for scientific research, Indore 452001, Madhya Pradesh (India)

2016-12-01

The structural, magnetic and magneto-transport of undoped ZnO, Zn{sub 0.97}Al{sub 0.03}O, Zn{sub 0.95}Fe{sub 0.05}O and Zn{sub 0.92}Al{sub 0.03}Fe{sub 0.05}O thin films grown on Si(100) substrate using pulsed laser deposition were investigated. The single phase nature of the films is confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The possibility of Fe metal cluster in Fe doped/co-doped films is ruled out by Fe 2p core level photoelectron spectra. From O 1s core level spectra it is observed that oxygen vacancy is present in all the films. The undoped ZnO film shows magnetic ordering below ∼175 K, whereas Fe doped/codoped samples show magnetic ordering even at 300 K. The Al doped sample reveals paramagnetic behavior. The magneto-transport measurements suggest that the mobile carriers undergo exchange interaction with local magnetic moments. - Highlights: • Al, Fe, Al–Fe co-doped and undoped films of ZnO are deposited on Si by PLD. • Single phase (002) oriented Wurtzite ZnO phase is formed for all films. • Fe doped and Fe–Al co-doped ZnO films reveal magnetic hysteresis at 300 K. • Negative magnetoresistance is observed in undoped and Fe–Al co-doped ZnO film. • It is apparent that charge carriers are coupled with the local magnetic moment.

Electronic properties of B and Al doped graphane: A hybrid density functional study

Science.gov (United States)

Mapasha, R. E.; Igumbor, E.; Andriambelaza, N. F.; Chetty, N.

2018-04-01

Using a hybrid density functional theory approach parametrized by Heyd, Scuseria and Ernzerhof (HSE06 hybrid functional), we study the energetics, structural and electronic properties of a graphane monolayer substitutionally doped with the B (BCH) and Al (AlCH) atoms. The BCH defect can be integrated within a graphane monolayer at a relative low formation energy, without major structural distortions and symmetry breaking. The AlCH defect relaxes outward of the monolayer and breaks the symmetry. The density of states plots indicate that BCH doped graphane monolayer is a wide band gap semiconductor, whereas the AlCH defect introduces the spin dependent mid gap states at the vicinity of the Fermi level, revealing a metallic character with the pronounced magnetic features. We further examine the response of the Al dependent spin states on the multiple charge states doping. We find that the defect formation energy, structural and electronic properties can be altered via charge state modulation. The +1 charge doping opens an energy band gap of 1.75 eV. This value corresponds to the wavelength in the visible spectrum, suggesting an ideal material for solar cell absorbers. Our study fine tunes the graphane band gap through the foreign atom doping as well as via defect charge state modulation.