• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.285-291
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• 2020

Recent advances in technology using ultra-thin noble metal film in oxide/metal/oxide structures have attracted attention because this material is a promising alternative to meet the needs of transparent conduction electrodes (TCE). AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films are prepared by magnetron sputtering for Cu₂ZnSn(S,Se)₄ (CZTSSe) of kesterite solar cells. It is shown that the electrical and optical properties of the AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films can be improved by the very low resistivity and surface plasmon effects due to the deposition of different thicknesses of Ag layer between oxide layers fixed at AZO 30 nm. The AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films of Ag 15 nm show high mobility of 26.4 ㎠/Vs and low resistivity and sheet resistance of 3.58^⁎10^-5 Ωcm and 5.0 Ω/sq. Also, the AZO/Ag (15 nm)/AZO multilayer film shows relatively high transmittance of more than 65 % in the visible region. Through this, we fabricated CZTSSe thin film solar cells with 7.51 % efficiency by improving the short-circuit current density and fill factor to 27.7 mV/㎠ and 62 %, respectively.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.163-167
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• 2013

Aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been prepared on the glass substrates (Corning 1737) by sol-gel dip-coating method employing zinc acetate and aluminum chloride hexahydrate for the transparent conducting oxide (TCO) applications. 1 at% Al was doped to the ZnO thin films. The effects of post-heating temperature on the crystallization, optical and electrical properties of the AZO films have been investigated. Experimental results showed that post-heating temperature affected the microstructure, electrical resistance, and optical transmittance of the AZO films. From the X-ray diffraction analysis, all films have hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure. Optical transmittance spectra of the AZO films exhibited transmittance higher than about 80% within the visible wavelength region and the optical direct band gap ($E_g$) of these films was increased with increasing post-heating temperature. A minimum resistivity of $2.5{\times}10^{-3}{\Omega}cm$ was observed at $650^{\circ}C$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.446-447
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• 2007

Aluminisum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films are attractive materials as transparent conductive electrode because they are inexpensive, nontoxic and abundant element compared with indium tin oxide (ITO). In our paper, AZO films have been deposited on glass (coming 1737) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The AZO film was post-annealed at $600^{\circ}C$, $800^{\circ}C$ for 2 hr with $N_2$ atmosphere, respectively. We investigated that the electric properties and qualitative analysis of AZO films, which measured using the methods of Hall effect, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.13-16
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• 2017

$SnO_2$ single layer films and 2 nm thick Ni thin film intermediated $AZO/Ni/SnO_2$ trilayer films were deposited on glass substrate at room temperatures by RF and DC magnetron sputtering and then the optical and electrical properties of the films were investigated to enhance opto-electrical performance of $SnO_2$ single layer films. As deposited $SnO_2$ films show the optical transmittance of 81.8% in the visible wavelength region and a resistivity of $1.2{\times}10^{-2}{\Omega}cm$, while $AZO/Ni/SnO_2$ films show a lower resistivity of $5.8{\times}10^{-3}{\Omega}cm$ and an optical transmittance of 77.1% in this study. Since $AZO/Ni/SnO_2$ films show the higher figure of merit than that of the $SnO_2$ single layer films, it is supposed that the $AZO/Ni/SnO_2$ films can assure high opto-electrical performance for use as a transparent conducting oxide in various display applications.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.901-906
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• 2006

The transparent conductive oxide(TCO) has been used in necessity as front electrode for increasing efficiency of LED. In our paper, aluminium-doped zinc oxide films(AZO), which has transparent conducting were prepared with RF magnetron sputtering system on glass substrate(corning 1737) and annealed at $400^{\circ}C$ for 2 hr in vacuum ambient and $600^{\circ}C$ for 2hr with $O_2$ ambient respectively. The smooth AZO films were etched in diluted HCL(0.5 %) to examine the surface properties, which in ambient post-annealing process. We confirmed that the electric, structural and optical properties of textured AZO thin films, which implemented using the methods of XRD, FWHM, AFM and Hall measurement. The properties of textured AZO thin films especially depended on the ambient post-annealing process. We presumed that the change of transmittances as R G B LED and the ambient post-annealing process will be increasing the efficiency of LED.

• Journal of Ceramic Processing Research
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• v.13 no.spc2
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• pp.407-410
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• 2012

The properties of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films were investigated as a function of H2/(Ar + H2) gas ratio using an AZO (2 wt% Al2O3) ceramic target in a radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system. The deposition process was done at 200 ℃ and in 2 × 10-2Torr working pressure and with various ratios of H2/(Ar + H2) gas. During the AZO film deposition process, partial H2 gas affected the AZO film characteristics. The electron resistivity (~ 9.21 × 10-4 Ωcm) was lowest and mobility (~17.8 ㎠/Vs) was highest in AZO films when the H2/(Ar + H2) gas ratio was 2.5%. When the H2/(Ar + H2) gas ratio was increased above 2.5%, the electron resistivity increased and mobility decreased with increasing H2/(Ar + H2) gas ratio in AZO films. The carrier concentration increased with increasing H2/(Ar + H2) gas ratio from 0% to 7.5%. This phenomenon was explained by reaction of hydrogen and oxygen and additional formation of oxygen vacancy. The average optical transmission in the visible light wavelength region over 90% and an orientation of the deposition was [002] orientation for AZO films grown with all H2/(Ar + H2) gas ratios.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.199-200
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• 2006

Transparent conductive alum mum-doped ZnO (AZO) films have been prepared on polycarbonate (PC), Coring 7059 and Quartz substrates by DC sputtering method at room temperature. Films deposited was evaluated about spectra of X-ray diffraction and transmittance and characteristics of films deposited as kind of substrate was compared. Films deposited showed (002) orientation and all AZO films are transparent over 80% within the visible wavelength region.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2009

AZO transparent conductive thin films were grown on $SiO_2$/Si and glass substrates using diethylzinc (DEZ) and trimethylaluminium (TMA) as the precursor and $H_2O$ as oxidant by atomic layer deposition. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the AZO films were characterized as a function of film thickness at a deposition temperature of $150^{\circ}C$. The AZO films with various thicknesses show well-crystallized phases and smooth surface morphologies. The 190-nm-thick AZO films grown on Coming 1737 glass substrates exhibit rms(root mean square) roughness of 8.8 nm, electrical resistivity of $1.5{\times}10^{-3}\;{\Omega}-cm$, and an optical transmittance of 84% at 600nm wavelength. Atomic layer deposition technique for the transparent conductive oxide films is possible to apply for the deposition on flexible polymer substrates.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.91-92
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• 2006

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films are attractive materials as transparent conductive electrode because they are inexpensive, nontoxic and abundant element compared with indium tin oxide (ITO). AZO films have been deposited on glass (corning 1737) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering system. The electrical resistivity of AZO films was $1.81{\times}10^{-2}{\Omega}cm$ and the average transmittance in the visible range 400-800 nm was more than 76% Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with AZO/TPD/$Alq_3$/Al configuration were fabricated. The current density-voltage properties of devices were studied and compared with ITO devices fabricated under the same conditions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society Of Semiconductor Equipment Technology
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.51-55
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• 2006

ITO/Ag/AZO and AZ0/Ag/ITO multi-layer films deposited on glass substrate by RF magnetron sputtering have a much better electrical properties than ITO and AZO single-layer films. The multi-layer structure was consisted of three layers of ITO, Ag and AZO. The optimum working pressure of AZO layers deposition was determined to be $1.0{\times}10^{-2}$ torr for high optical transmittance and good electrical conductivity. The electrical and optical properties of sub/IT0/Ag/AZO were higher than those of sub/AZ0/Ag/ITO multi-layer films.