Preparation of Sol-Gel Derived Powders and Transparent Conductive Thin Films of Aluminum-Doped Zinc Oxides by Hydrothermal or Solvothermal Method

Due to excellent electrical conductivity, good visible light transparacy, and high infrared reflectivity, transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films are the most important transparent conducting electrode materials in optoelectronic devices. Currently, the primary TCO thin film materials used in the industry is tin-doped indium oxides (ITO). However, due to some limitations and problems encountered in the production processes and the applications of ITO thin films, there is an urgent need to find new materials to replace ITO. Recently, aluminum-doped zinc oxides (AZO) thin films have been actively studied due to their great potentials as alternative materials to replace ITO. Due to the advantages of high produce rate, consistent high film quality, and large area coating capability, sputtering is the main deposition method used in the industry to produce TCO thin films. However, the sputtering deposition temperature for TCO thin films is still too high for most plastic substrates; in addition, the sputter-deposited TCO thin films require etching to produce patterned circuits, Therefore, how to resolve the problems cited for sputtering deposition of TCO thin films to meet the future trend of electronic products using flexible plastic substrates has always been a very important research topic for both the academia and the industry. The objectives of this two year research project are to prepare sol-gel derived AZO crystalline nano-powders, AZO transparent conductive coating solutions, and AZO transparent conductive films by hydrothermal or solvothermal method. In addition, the effects of the processing conditions on the characteristics of AZO nano-powders and AZO thin films will also be investigated. Finally, the characteristics of AZO thin films deposited will also be compared and analyzed in order to discover possible routes to improve the properties and the processing conditions of AZO thin films.

Project ID:PB9709-3587
External Project ID:NSC97-2221-E182-030