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Special Issue "Advances in Transparent Conducting Oxides"

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2012) | Viewed by 40263

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Prof. Dr. Robert Bruce Van Dover

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Guest Editor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, 227 Bard Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-1501, USA
Interests: high-throughput experimentation; thin films; complex oxides; fuel cell catalysts, support materials, and solid electrolytes; dielectrics; magnetic materials; magnetic devices

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) play an essential role in technologies ranging from low emissivity windows to photovoltaic energy systems to a wide variety of electronic display technologies. A tremendous range of oxides are transparent, but engineering these to also exhibit useful electronic conductivity is rarely straightforward. Developing materials that meet all of the performance characteristics demanded by a given application is profoundly challenging, and is the focus of worldwide research. Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) sets the standard for many performance metrics, but has the drawback of high expense associated with indium. Alternatives such as Al-doped tin oxide and indium-doped cadmium oxide have been widely investigated but have not replaced ITO in most applications. Many other multication oxides have been investigated, along with transparent conducting polymers and related systems.

Desirable characteristics include

low thermal budget (synthesis and processing require T < 100 ºC)
high mobility
high conductivity
low cost
chemical compatibility with other functional layers
high transmittance over targeted wavelength range
mechanical stability and flexibility

New and improved materials are needed because existing materials are not anticipated to meet the performance, cost, and availability demands of emerging consumer technologies. In this special issue we aim to cover recent progress in achieving high performance in transparent conductors as well as in understanding the mechanisms and issues that limit performance, along with new approaches to developing transparent conductors including rational design and incorporation of novel materials.

Prof. Dr. Robert Bruce van Dover
Guest Editor

Keywords

oxides
transparent conductors
LCD display
low emissivity
transparent electronics
oxide transistors
amorphous oxide conductors
transparent conducting film
transparent electrode

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 483 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of the Milling Time of the Precursors on the Physical Properties of Sprayed Aluminum-Doped Zinc Oxide (ZnO:Al) Thin Films

Thrinath Reddy Ramireddy

Velmurugan Venugopal

Jagadeesh Babu Bellam

Arturo Maldonado

Jaime Vega-Pérez

, Subramaniam Velumani and

María De La Luz Olvera

Materials 2012, 5(8), 1404-1412; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma5081404 - 16 Aug 2012

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5507

Abstract

Aluminum doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) thin films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates by the chemical spray technique. The atomization of the solution was carried out by ultrasonic excitation. Six different starting solutions from both unmilled and milled Zn and Al precursors, dissolved in a mix of methanol and acetic acid, were prepared. The milling process was carried out using a planetary ball mill at a speed of 300 rpm, and different milling times, namely, 15, 25, 35, 45, and 60 min. Molar concentration, [Al]/[Zn] atomic ratio, deposition temperature and time, were kept at constant values; 0.2 M, 3 at.%, 475 °C, and 10 min, respectively. Results show that, under the same deposition conditions, electrical resistivities of ZnO:Al thin films deposited from milled precursors are lower than those obtained for films deposited from unmilled precursors. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that all films display a polycrystalline structure, fitting well with the hexagonal wurtzite structure. Changes in surface morphology were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well, since films deposited from unmilled precursors show triangular shaped grains, in contrast to films deposited from 15 and 35 min milled precursors that display thin slices with hexagonal shapes. The use of milled precursors to prepare starting solutions for depositing ZnO:Al thin films by ultrasonic pyrolysis influences their physical properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Transparent Conducting Oxides)

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23 pages, 196 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transparent Conducting Oxides—An Up-To-Date Overview

Andreas Stadler

Materials 2012, 5(4), 661-683; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma5040661 - 19 Apr 2012

Cited by 303 | Viewed by 16933

Abstract

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Transparent Conducting Oxides)

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11 pages, 435 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Formation of Indium-Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films Using Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis: The Importance of the Water Content in the Aerosol Solution and the Substrate Temperature for Enhancing Electrical Transport

María De La Luz Olvera

and

Arturo Maldonado

Materials 2012, 5(3), 432-442; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma5030432 - 12 Mar 2012

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 7437

Abstract

Indium doped zinc oxide [ZnO:In] thin films have been deposited at 430°C on soda-lime glass substrates by the chemical spray technique, starting from zinc acetate and indium acetate. Pulverization of the solution was done by ultrasonic excitation. The variations in the electrical, structural, optical, and morphological characteristics of ZnO:In thin films, as a function of both the water content in the starting solution and the substrate temperature, were studied. The electrical resistivity of ZnO:In thin films is not significantly affected with the increase in the water content, up to 200 mL/L; further increase in water content causes an increase in the resistivity of the films. All films show a polycrystalline character, fitting well with the hexagonal ZnO wurtzite-type structure. No preferential growth in samples deposited with the lowest water content was observed, whereas an increase in water content gave rise to a (002) growth. The surface morphology of the films shows a consistency with structure results, as non-geometrical shaped round grains were observed in the case of films deposited with the lowest water content, whereas hexagonal slices, with a wide size distribution were observed in the other cases. In addition, films deposited with the highest water content show a narrow size distribution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Transparent Conducting Oxides)

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Review

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33 pages, 555 KiB

Open AccessReview

Investigating the Defect Structures in Transparent Conducting Oxides Using X-ray and Neutron Scattering Techniques

Gabriela B. González

Materials 2012, 5(5), 818-850; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma5050818 - 11 May 2012

Cited by 39 | Viewed by 9588

Abstract

Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) materials are implemented into a wide variety of commercial devices because they possess a unique combination of high optical transparency and high electrical conductivity. Created during the processing of the TCOs, defects within the atomic-scale structure are responsible for their desirable optical and electrical properties. Therefore, studying the defect structure is essential to a better understanding of the behavior of transparent conductors. X-ray and neutron scattering techniques are powerful tools to investigate the atomic lattice structural defects in these materials. This review paper presents some of the current developments in the study of structural defects in n-type TCOs using x-ray diffraction (XRD), neutron diffraction, extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), pair distribution functions (PDFs), and x-ray fluorescence (XRF). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Transparent Conducting Oxides)

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