Study of oxide/metal/oxide thin films for transparent electronics and solar cells applications by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Mihaela Girtan; Laura Hrostea; Mihaela Boclinca; Beatrice Negulescu; Mihaela Girtan; Laura Hrostea; Mihaela Boclinca; Beatrice Negulescu

doi:10.3934/matersci.2017.3.594

AIMS Materials Science

2017, Volume 4, Issue 3: 594-613. doi: 10.3934/matersci.2017.3.594

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Study of oxide/metal/oxide thin films for transparent electronics and solar cells applications by spectroscopic ellipsometry

1.
Photonics Laboratory, Angers University, 2, Bd. Lavoisier, 49045, Angers, France
2.
Faculty of Physics, “Al.I.Cuza” University, Iasi, Romania
3.
François Rabelais University, Tours, France

Received: 27 March 2017 Accepted: 10 May 2017 Published: 25 May 2017

A comprehensive study of a class of Oxide/Metal/Oxide (Oxide = ITO, AZO, TiO₂ and Bi₂O₃, Metal = Au) thin films was done by correlating the spectrophotometric studies with the ellispometric models. Films were deposited by successive sputtering from metallic targets In:Sn, Zn:Al, Ti and Bi in reactive atmosphere (for the oxide films) and respective inert atmosphere (for the metallic Au interlayer films) on glass substrates. The measurements of optical constants n—the refractive index and k—the extinction coefficient, at different incident photon energies for single oxide films and also for the three layers films oxide/metal/oxide samples were made using the spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) technique. The ellipsometry modelling process was coupled with the recorded transmission spectra data of a double beam spectrophotometer and the best fitting parameters were obtained not only by fitting the n and k experimental data with the dispersion fitting curves as usual is practiced in the most reported data in literature, but also by comparing the calculated the transmission coefficient from ellipsometry with the experimental values obtained from direct spectrophotometry measurements. In this way the best dispersion model was deduced for each sample. Very good correlations were obtained for the other different thin films characteristics such as the films thickness, optical band gap and electrical resistivity obtained by other measurements and calculation techniques. The ellipsometric modelling, can hence give the possibility in the future to predict, by ellipsometric simulations, the proper device architecture in function of the preferred optical and electrical properties.
- transparent electrodes,
- solar cells,
- ellipsometry models
Citation: Mihaela Girtan, Laura Hrostea, Mihaela Boclinca, Beatrice Negulescu. Study of oxide/metal/oxide thin films for transparent electronics and solar cells applications by spectroscopic ellipsometry[J]. AIMS Materials Science, 2017, 4(3): 594-613. doi: 10.3934/matersci.2017.3.594

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Abstract

A comprehensive study of a class of Oxide/Metal/Oxide (Oxide = ITO, AZO, TiO₂ and Bi₂O₃, Metal = Au) thin films was done by correlating the spectrophotometric studies with the ellispometric models. Films were deposited by successive sputtering from metallic targets In:Sn, Zn:Al, Ti and Bi in reactive atmosphere (for the oxide films) and respective inert atmosphere (for the metallic Au interlayer films) on glass substrates. The measurements of optical constants n—the refractive index and k—the extinction coefficient, at different incident photon energies for single oxide films and also for the three layers films oxide/metal/oxide samples were made using the spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) technique. The ellipsometry modelling process was coupled with the recorded transmission spectra data of a double beam spectrophotometer and the best fitting parameters were obtained not only by fitting the n and k experimental data with the dispersion fitting curves as usual is practiced in the most reported data in literature, but also by comparing the calculated the transmission coefficient from ellipsometry with the experimental values obtained from direct spectrophotometry measurements. In this way the best dispersion model was deduced for each sample. Very good correlations were obtained for the other different thin films characteristics such as the films thickness, optical band gap and electrical resistivity obtained by other measurements and calculation techniques. The ellipsometric modelling, can hence give the possibility in the future to predict, by ellipsometric simulations, the proper device architecture in function of the preferred optical and electrical properties.

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