• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.37-43
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• 2012

We were studied that AZO conductive thin film can substitute for FTO electrode in dye sensitized solar cell. Three types of AZO films were deposited on soda-lime glass(AZO/glass, AZO/AZO/glass, textured AZO/AZO/glass) using RF magnetron sputtering process and investigated their properties of electrical, optical, and photoelectric conversion rate. The textured AZO/AZO/glass has the lowest resistivity of $3.079{\times}10^{-4}\;{\Omega}cm$ among other films. And the optical transmittance rate was better than both non textured AZO/AZO/glass and FTO/glass in the visible region. After manufacturing dye solar cells using the three types of AZO films, the textured AZO/AZO/glass showed the highest photoelectric conversion rate of 3.68% among AZO samples. But the transformation rate was slightly lower than FTO cells (4.52%). However, the conductive film of textured AZO/AZO/glass can be applicable to use an electrode in solar cells as cost-effective products.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.02a
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• pp.594-594
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• 2012

Al doped ZnO (AZO) thin films were deposited on textured glass substrate by magnetron sputtering method. Also, AZO films on textured glass were etched by hydrochloric acid (HCl). Average thickness of etched AZO films are 90 nm. We observed morphology of AZO film by AFM with various etchant concentration and etching time. Etched AZO films have low resistivity and high haze. The surface RMS roughness of AZO film was increased from 53.8 nm to 84.5 nm. The haze ratio was also enhanced in above 700 nm of wavelength due to light trapping effect was increased by rough AZO surface. The etched AZO films on textured glass are applicable to fabricate solar cell.

• Journal of information and communication convergence engineering
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.461-465
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• 2011

An aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) film for front contacts of thin film solar cells, in this work, were deposited by r.f. magnetron sputtering, and then etched in diluted hydrochloric acid solution for different times. Effects of surface texturing on the electro-optical properties of AZO films were investigated. Also, to clarify the light trapping of textured AZO film, amorphous silicon thin film solar cells were fabricated on the textured AZO/glass substrate and the performance of solar cells were studied. After texturing, the spectral haze at the visible range of 400 ~750 nm increased substantially with the etching time, without a change in the resistivity. The conversion efficiency of amorphous Si solar cells with textured AZO film as a front electrode was improved by the increase of short-circuit current density ($J_{sc}$), compared to cell with flat AZO films.

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.345.2-345.2
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• 2016

Alumina (Al2O3) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) films (AZO) have been prepared from 2 wt.% Al2O3 doped ZnO target by DC magnetron sputtering at a 2 mTorr (0.27 Pa) chamber pressure in (15 sccm) argon ambient. We obtained films of various opto-electronic properties by variation of target angle from 32.5o to 72.5o. At lower target angle deposited films show higher values in optical gap, mobility of charge carrier, carrier concentration, crystallite grain size, transmission range of wavelength, which are favorable characteristics of AZO as a transparent conducting oxide (TCO). At higher target angle the sheet resistance, work function, surface roughness for the AZO films increases. Measured haze ratio of the films changed lower to higher and size of characteristic surface structure of as deposited film ranges from ~40 nm to ~300 nm. By a combination of low and high target angle we obtained a textured TCO film with high conductivity.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2009.11a
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• pp.50.1-50.1
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• 2009

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) play an important role in thin-film solar cells in terms of low cost and performance improvement. Al-doped ZnO (AZO) is a very promising material for thin-film solar cellfabrication because of the wide availability of its constituent raw materials and its low cost. In this study, AZO films were prepared by low pressurechemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) using trimethylaluminum (TMA), diethylzinc(DEZ), and water vapor. In order to improve the absorbance of light, atypical surface texturing method is wet etching of front electrode using chemical solution. Alternatively, LPCVD can create a rough surface during deposition. This "self-texturing" is a very useful technique, which can eliminate additional chemical texturing process. The introduction of a TMA doping source has a strong influence on resistivity and the diffusion of light in a wide wavelength range.The haze factor of AZO up to a value of 43 % at 600 nm was achieved without an additional surface texturing process by simple TMA doping. The use of AZO TCO resulted in energy conversion efficiencies of 7.7 % when it was applied to thep-i-n a-Si:H thin film solar cell, which was comparable to commercially available fluorine doped tin oxide ($SnO_2$:F).

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2006

ZnO:Al(AZO) films prepared by rf magnetron sputtering on glass substrate and textured by post-deposition chemical etching were applied as front contact and back reflectors for ${\mu}c$-Si:H thin film solar cells. For the front transparent electrode contact, AZO films were prepared at various working pressures and substrate temperature and then were chemically etched in diluted HCl(1%). The front AZO films deposited at low working pressure(1 mTorr) and low temperature ($240^{\circ}C$) exhibited uniform and high transmittance ($\geq$80%) and excellent electrical properties. The solar cells were optimized in terms of optical and electrical properties to demonstrate a high short-circuit current.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2008.06a
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• pp.417-418
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• 2008

Transparent conductive oxide (TCO) are necessary as front electrode or anti-reflecting coating for increasing efficiency of LED and Photodiode. In this paper, aluminum-doped Zinc oxide films(AZO) were prepared by DC magnetron sputtering on glass(corning 1737) and Si substrate at temperature of $100^{\circ}C$ and then annealed at temperature of $400^{\circ}C$ for 1hr in Ar and vaccum. The AZO films were etched in diluted HCL (0.5 %) to examine the surface morphology properties. After annealing, Structural and electrical property were investigated. The c-axis orientation along (002) plane was enhanced and the electrical resistivity of the AZO film decreased from $1.1\times10^{-1}$ to $1.6\times10^{-2}{\Omega}cm$. We observed textured structure of AZO thin film etched for 2s.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.401-401
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• 2011

In this work, we deposited Al2O3doped ZnO (AZO) thin films by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering method with a $40^{\circ}$ tilted target, for application in the front layer of thin film solar cell. Wet chemical etching behavior of AZO films was also investigated. In order to optimize textured AZO films, oxalic acid ($C_2H_2O_4$)has been used as wet etchant of AZO film. In this experiment we used 0.001% concentration of oxalic acid various etching time, that showed an anisotropy in etching texture of AZO films. Electrical resistivity, Hall mobility and carrier concentration measurements are performed by using the Hall measurement, that are $6{\times}10^{-4}{\Omega}cm$, $20{\sim}25cm^2/V-s$ and $4{\sim}6{\times}10^{20}$, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.259-264
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• 2009

In this study we investigated the effect of the multi-step texturing process on the electrical and optical properties of hydrogenated Al-doped zinc oxide (HAZO) thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering. AZO films on glass were prepared by changing the $H_2/(Ar+H_2)$ ratio at a low temperature of $150^{\circ}C$. The prepared HAZO films showed lower resistivity and higher carrier concentration and mobility than those of non-hydrogenated AZO films. After deposition, the surface of the HAZO films was multi-step textured in diluted HCl (0.5%) for the investigation of the change in the optical properties and the surface morphology due to etching. As a result, the HAZO film fabricated under the type III condition showed excellent optical properties with a haze value of 52.3%.