Characteristics of Aluminum-Doped Zinc Oxide Films Grown Using Facing Target Sputtering for Transparent Electrode of Heterojunction Solar Cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 1799-1803
Author(s):  
Yujin Kim ◽  
Sangmo Kim ◽  
Jeongsoo Hong ◽  
Kyung Hwan Kim
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Zinc Oxide ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Transparent Electrode ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Heterojunction Solar Cells ◽  
Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide ◽  
Facing Target Sputtering ◽  
High Energy Particles

In general sputtering, material characteristics can be degraded by high-energy particles located inside the plasma owing to the thin film surface. However, facing target sputtering (FTS) can be used to produce high-quality thin films through maximum control over substrate damage and the reduction of layer damage caused by high-energy particles impacting the substrate. Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) are being applied to a variety of technologies, including displays and solar cells. The typical transparent electrode material is indium tin oxide (ITO), which contains rare and expensive raw materials. Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) has attracted increasing attention as a substitute to ITO because it is composed of abundantly available resources and is generally inexpensive. In this study, an AZO thin film was prepared using an FTS system for heterojunction solar cells. The effects of the deposition substrate temperature on the resulting electrical conductivity, structural properties, and optical properties of the AZO thin films were examined.

Thermal Stability of Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films

2011 ◽  
Vol 685 ◽  
pp. 147-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Hua Huang ◽  
Rui Qin Tan ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
Yu Long Zhang ◽  
Ye Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Thin Films ◽  
Thermal Stability ◽  
Zinc Oxide ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Electrode Materials ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Oxide Thin Films ◽  
Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide ◽  
Thermal Stability Of

Transparent conductive oxides are key electrode materials for thin film solar cells. Aluminum doped zinc oxide has become one of the most promising transparent conductive oxide (TCO) materials because of its excellent optical and electrical properties. In this work, aluminum doped zinc oxide thin films were prepared using RF magnetron sputtering of a 4 at% ceramic target. The thermal stability of aluminum doped zinc oxide thin films was studied using various physical and structural characterization methods. It was observed that the electrical conductivity of aluminum doped zinc oxide thin films deteriorated rapidly and unevenly when it was heated up to 350 °C. When the aluminum doped zinc oxide thin films were exposed to UV ozone for a short time before heating up, its thermal stability and large area homogeneity were significantly improved. The present work provided a novel method for improving the durability of aluminum doped zinc oxides as transparent conductive electrodes in thin film solar cells.

SOLUTION PROCESSING OF CADMIUM SULFIDE BUFFER LAYER AND ALUMINUM-DOPED ZINC OXIDE WINDOW LAYER FOR THIN FILMS SOLAR CELLS

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (04) ◽  
pp. 1450059 ◽  
Author(s):  
MAHBOOB ALAM ◽  
MOHAMMAD ISLAM ◽  
AMINE ACHOUR ◽  
ANSAR HAYAT ◽  
BILAL AHSAN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Films ◽  
Zinc Oxide ◽  
Electrical Resistivity ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Annealing Temperature ◽  
Window Layer ◽  
Zno Thin Films ◽  
Bath Composition ◽  
Film Properties ◽  
Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide

Cadmium sulfide ( CdS ) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide ( Al : ZnO ) thin films are used as buffer layer and front window layer, respectively, in thin film solar cells. CdS and Al : ZnO thin films were produced using chemical bath deposition (CBD) and sol–gel technique, respectively. For CBD CdS , the effect of bath composition and temperature, dipping time and annealing temperature on film properties was investigated. The CdS films are found to be polycrystalline with metastable cubic crystal structure, dense, crack-free surface morphology and the crystallite size of either few nanometers or 12–17 nm depending on bath composition. In case of CdS films produced with 1:2 ratio of Cd and S precursors, spectrophotometer studies indicate quantum confinement effect, owing to extremely small crystallite size, with an increase in Eg value from 2.42 eV (for bulk CdS ) to ~ 3.76 eV along with a shift in the absorption edge toward ~ 330 nm wavelength. The optimum annealing temperature is 400°C beyond which film properties deteriorate through S evaporation and CdO formation. On the other hand, Al : ZnO films prepared via spin coating of precursor sols containing 0.90–1.10 at.% Al show that, with an increase in Al concentration, the average grain size increases from 28 nm to 131 nm with an associated decrease in root-mean-square roughness. The minimum value of electrical resistivity, measured for the films prepared using 0.95 at.% Al in the precursor sol, is ~ 2.7 × 10-4 Ω ⋅ cm. The electrical resistivity value rises upon further increase in Al doping level due to introduction of lattice defects and Al segregation to the grain boundary area, thus limiting electron transport through it.

Vapor textured aluminum-doped zinc oxide on cellophane paper for flexible thin film solar cells

2018 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 105-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiyan Wang ◽  
Vladimir Smirnov ◽  
Hongjiang Li ◽  
Sandra Moll ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thin Film ◽  
Zinc Oxide ◽  
Solar Cells ◽  
Thin Film Solar Cells ◽  
Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide
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