Transparent conductive Sb-doped SnO2/Ag multilayer films fabricated by magnetron sputtering for flexible electronics

• Published in: Acta materialia Vol. 61; no. 14; pp. 5429 - 5436
• Main Authors: Yu, Shihui, Zhang, Weifeng, Li, Linngxia, Xu, Dan, Dong, Helei, Jin, Yuxin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electrical properties; Exact sciences and technology; Growth temperature; Materials science; Mechanism; Metals. Metallurgy; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Multilayer thin films; Physics; Production techniques; Semiconductors; Surface treatment; Growth temperature; Semiconductors; Electrical properties; Multilayer thin films; Mechanism; Temperature; Magnetron; Semiconductor materials; Doping; Electronics; Multiple layer; Sputtering; Surface treatment; Thin film; Physical vapor deposition; Application
• ISSN: 1359-6454; 1873-2453
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actamat.2013.05.031

The effects of an embedded silver layer and substrate temperature on the electrical and optical properties of Sb-doped SnO2 (ATO)/silver (Ag) layered composite structures on polyethylene naphthalate substrates have been investigated. The highest conductivity of ATO/Ag multilayer films was obtained with a carrier concentration of 1.5×1022cm−3 and a resistivity of 2.4×10−5Ωcm at the optimum Ag layer thickness and substrate temperature. The photopic averaged transmittance and Haacke figure of merit are 81.7%, and 21.7×10−3Ω−1, respectively. In addition, a conduction mechanism is proposed to elucidate the mobility variation with increased Ag thickness. We also describe the influence of substrate temperature on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the ATO/Ag multilayer films, and propose a mechanism for the changes in electrical and optical properties at different substrate temperatures.