RT Journal Article
T1 Transparent conductive aluminum-zinc oxide layers deposited by high pressure sputtering
A1 Duarte-Cano, S.
A1 Torrecilla, L.
A1 Pérez Zenteno, Francisco José
A1 Benítez Fernández, Rafael
A1 García Hemme, Eric
A1 Olea Ariza, Javier
A1 Pastor Pastor, David
A1 Prado Millán, Álvaro Del
A1 Martil De La Plaza, Ignacio
A1 San Andrés Serrano, Enrique
A1 Caudevilla Gutiérrez, Daniel
A1 Roca-Giménez, N.
A1 García Hernansanz, Rodrigo
AB High-pressure sputtering (HPS) is an unconventional method used to deposit various materials, including transparent conductive oxides. This article sets out to investigate aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), a material widely used in solar cells. The aim of this work is to examine the properties of AZO films deposited by HPS and evaluate this method as a viable alternative to conventional deposition techniques. To characterize the films, techniques such as grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to analyze their structure, composition, and surface morphology. Optical characterization showed high transparency in the visible range and optical band gap (Eg) values between 3.41 and 3.60 eV. Additionally, electrical properties were evaluated using the Hall effect and van der Pauw method measurements, revealing resistivities in the range of 5 & sdot;10- 3 Omega & sdot;cm. A direct correlation was observed between the increase in deposition pressure and the carrier concentration. We found that this increase in carrier concentration causes the observed rise in the band gap value, as a result of the Burstein-Moss effect. The results indicate that pressures in the 1.0-1.4 mbar range produce smooth films with high optical transparency and low electrical resistivity, associated with a high carrier concentration. However, at higher pressures (2.2 mbar) the films exhibit greater roughness and a decrease in carrier mobility, despite the increase in carrier concentration. The highest value of Haacke's figure of merit was obtained for the sample deposited at 1.4 mbar. The results obtained demonstrate that AZO deposited by HPS exhibits properties comparable to those obtained by other deposition methods, establishing it as a scalable and cost-effective alternative for next-generation solar cells.
PB Elsevier
SN 0169-4332
YR 2025
FD 2025-12
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/128908
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/128908
LA eng
NO Duarte-Cano, S., et al. «Transparent Conductive Aluminum-Zinc Oxide Layers Deposited by High Pressure Sputtering». Applied Surface Science, vol. 713, diciembre de 2025, p. 164357. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2025.164357.
NO Firmado por 16 autores.
NO Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España)
NO Comunidad de Madrid
NO HyperSolar
NO Unión Europea
NO Recovery and Resilience Facility (Unión Europea)
NO Ministerio de Educación (Arabia Saudi)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 30 dic 2025