아주대학교병원 고위험산모 신생아 통합치료센터

Mater Sci: Mater Electron. 2025 February. doi: doi.org/10.1007/s10854-025-14450-6

​Enhancing AZO thin films for optoelectronics:  the impact of substrate temperature and vacuum  annealing​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films, a promising candidate for advanced optoelectronic applications, were deposited using a direct-current (DC) magnetron sputtering system at various substrate temperatures. This study systematically investigates the impact of deposition temperature and post-deposition annealing on the structural, electrical, optical, and chemical properties of AZO thin films. Films deposited at mid-temperature (MT, 160 °C) exhibited superior electrical performance, including high carrier mobility (21.35 cm2/Vs) and low resistivity, compared to films deposited at low and high temperatures. Post deposition annealing at 300 °C for 30 min under vacuum further enhanced the conductivity by significantly increasing the carrier concentration, as confirmed by photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which revealed the role of oxygen vacancies (VO) and zinc-related defects (OZn) in the conduction band. To optimize light-trapping properties, AZO thin films were etched using 0.5% hydrochloric acid (HCl) for 35 s, achieving a haze ratio of 36% and a sheet resistance of 10 Ω/sq. These optimized films were integrated into a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem solar cells, resulting in a short-circuit current density (JSC) of 13.66 mA/cm2 and an efficiency (η) of 13.52%. These findings highlight the importance of controlling deposition and annealing conditions to optimize the performance of AZO thin films, paving the way for their integration into next generation photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices.   

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