Coatings of indium tin oxide nanoparticles on various flexible polymer substrates: Influence of surface topography and oscillatory bending on electrical properties

Abstract— Coatings of indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles on different flexible polymer substrates were investigated with respect to the achievable sheet resistance and their electrical behavior under oscillatory bending. As substrate materials, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and polyimide (PI) were chosen, the surface resistances on the different polymer substrates were compared as a function of annealing temperature and surface topography. The surface topography, which has a strong influence on the surface resistance, was characterized by means of a white‐light confocal (WL‐CF) microscope. On the PET substrate, which exhibits the smoothest surface, the coating of ITO nanoparticles shows the lowest sheet resistance of 2 kΩ/□ for a layer thickness of 3 μm and an annealing temperature of 200°C. Furthermore, the electrical behavior of coatings of ITO nanoparticles under oscillatory bending was investigated using a special device. These coatings show a cyclic change of the conductivity which can be explained by an alternating compression and extension of crack flanks under the applied stress. Due to the growing number of cracks with increasing number of cycles, a decrease of the conductivity is observed in the bent state as well as in the balanced state. For a small bending radii, the decrease of the conductivity is stronger due to more cracks caused by the higher tensile stresses in the layer. The electrical behavior of the coatings of the annealed ITO nanoparticles on PET films under oscillatory bending was compared with commercially available sputtered ITO coatings. The annealed coatings of ITO nanoparticles demonstrate better electrical properties under oscillatory bending than coatings of sputtered ITO. The different electrical behavior under oscillatory bending can be related to differences in crack formation.     

Oil thermal annealed nano‐structured indium tin oxide thin films for display applications

Indium tin oxide‐coated thin films (200 nm) are deposited on glass substrates by using R.f. sputtering technique. Here, we investigate the influence of new technique of treatment, which is called as “oil thermal annealing” on the nano‐structured indium tin oxide thin films at fixed temperature (150 °C) which improves adhesion strength, electrical conductivity and optical properties (transmittance) of the films. Oil thermal annealing is used to reduce inherent defects that may be introduced during the prepared thin film and cooling processes. Proposed technique is highly suitable for liquid crystal displays, solar cells and organic light emitting diodes, and many other display‐related applications.     

Effects of ITO film annealing temperature on hybrid solar cell performance

The effects of indium tin oxide (ITO) film annealing temperature on the performance of organic solar cells are investigated. The roughness of the ITO film surface morphology increased with increasing annealing temperature. The optical penetration and rate of exciton generation both increased with increasing ITO film annealing temperature, enhancing the short-circuit current density. The maximum efficiency (2.62 %) was obtained with an annealing temperature of about 500 °C. The incident-photon-to-current efficiency value for a hybrid photovoltaic device with an ITO film annealed temperature at 500 °C was 45 % at 475 nm.     

Orientation and thickness dependence of electrical and gas sensing properties in heteroepitaxial indium tin oxide films

Heteroepitaxial indium tin oxide (ITO) films were grown on three differently oriented yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates ((1 0 0), (1 1 0), (1 1 1)) by rf magnetron sputtering, and their structural characteristics and electrical and gas sensing properties were investigated. The initially formed ITO exhibited an island structure on the very thin layer and became a continuous film after the prolonged deposition. The heteroepitaxial relationships between ITO films and YSZ substrates were confirmed by X-ray diffraction, pole figure, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The chemical composition, determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), was slightly different at early stage depending on the substrate orientation, but it became similar after the longer deposition. Hall measurements indicated that the electrical resistivity of ITO films decreased with increasing the deposition time (or film thickness) irrespective of the film orientation. The ITO film deposited on (1 1 0) YSZ for 10 s showed the highest electrical resistivity. The gas sensor fabricated from the ITO film on (1 1 0) YSZ deposited for 10 s showed the highest NO₂ gas response at relatively low temperature (100 °C), which was attributed to the higher Sn concentration and higher surface roughness of that film.     

Room‐temperature deposition of thin‐film indium tin oxide on micro‐fabricated color filters and its application to flat‐panel displays

Abstract— Direct deposition of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film on color filters is of practical use in the fabrication of state‐of‐the‐art flat‐panel displays. Room‐temperature dc magnetron sputtering of thin‐film ITO and issues related to the integration of ITO‐on‐glass panels containing micro‐fabricated color filters and other functional materials have been investigated. The resulting polycrystalline ITO exhibited good adhesion to the underlying color filters, as well as good optical transparency and high electrical conductivity. Application of this ITO deposition technology to color liquid‐crystal and organic light‐emitting diode displays will also presented.     

The electrical and optical properties of AZO thin film under different post-annealing temperatures

In this study, the Aluminum element doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) thin film was deposited on the Corning glass substrate by RF magnetron sputtering technology and annealing treatment. After sputtering, all thin films are then annealed on nitrogen atmosphere and temperature of 300, 500 and 550 °C, respectively. The structural, electric and optical characteristics were then investigated. All films illustrate strong (002) for ZnO and (335) for Al preferential orientation by using XRD analysis. The lower resistivity can be observed at nitrogen annealing and temperature of 400 °C. The transmittance property of AZO thin film exhibited an excellent transparency in the visible light range. The transmittance reached to nearly 81.4 % for all Al:ZnO film. It can be clearly observed that the grain size of AZO thin film is very uniform by utilizing SEM technology.     

Development of high sensitivity tin oxide based sensors for gas/odour detection at room temperature

An effort has been made to develop thick film tin oxide gas sensors which could detect various gases/odours at room temperature. To achieve this, the fabricated sensors were annealed in oxygen plasma for various durations. It was then found that, the room temperature sensitivity of such sensors was increased to about ten times as compared to the sensitivity of the non-annealed sensors. Further, plasma annealed sensors are found to be practically independent of temperature and the room temperature sensitivity of these sensors are found to be about 1.5 times the sensitivity of the conventional sensors at its operating temperature of 300°C. Studies on the variation of d.c. resistance, sensitivity, temporal response, current–temperature characteristics and impedance spectroscopy with the annealing time have also been made. These studies reveal that, with the increase in annealing time, there is a permanent gradual reduction in the d.c. resistance of annealed sensors. Further, it is also observed that with the increase in annealing time, the response time improves, barrier height reduces, barrier capacitance increases and the dependence of the sensitivity with temperature reduces while the sensitivity itself improves many-fold.     

Turn-on voltage reduction of organic light-emitting diode using a nickel-doped indium tin oxide anode prepared by single target sputtering

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with a nickel (Ni)-doped indium tin oxide (ITO) anode were fabricated. The Ni-doped ITO anode was prepared using sputter deposition of Ni–ITO single targets consisting of 1, 3 and 5 wt% of nickel. Turn-on voltage of OLED devices with the Ni-doped ITO anode was reduced by 2.5, 4 and 3.8 V for 1, 3 and 5 wt% targets, respectively. Half-luminance lifetime was improved by 2.5 times with a Ni(3 wt%)-ITO single target. The successful development in preparing Ni-doped ITO films by Ni–ITO single target sputtering allows this approach to be adopted for OLED manufacturing.     

Photoelectrocatalytic regeneration of NADH at poly(4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone)/nano TiO2 composite film modified indium tin oxide electrode

Herein we report the photoelectrocatalytic regeneration of NADH at poly(4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone)/nano TiO₂ (PDDS/TiO₂) composite modified indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. The PDDS film growth was confirmed through in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) studies. The prepared PDDS/TiO₂ composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. SEM and AFM results confirmed that TiO₂ nanoparticles size is between 130 and 180 nm. XRD results showed that TiO₂ nanoparticles are crystalline and belong to anatase phase. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and light induced EIS results substantiate a rapid electron transfer process at PDDS/TiO₂ composite surface. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results demonstrated that composite film showed excellent response to the photoelectrocatalytic regeneration of NADH. The photoelectrocatalytic oxidation of NADH at composite film surface irradiated for 5 min (optimized irradiation time) produced a notable enhancement in anodic peak current and it was 18-fold higher than that of PDDS film and several folds higher than that of TiO₂ and bare ITO electrodes. Further, composite film showed higher sensitivity of 124.1 μA μM⁻¹ for NADH. From Square wave voltammetry (SWV) results, sensitivity of the irradiated composite film was obtained as 0.252 μA nM⁻¹ of NADH. The linear concentration range was between 23 and 39 nM NADH respectively. Further, the composite film exhibits good selectivity towards NADH and no significant interference effect was observed even when 200-fold excess of ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) coexist in the same supporting electrolyte solution.     

Fabrication and cathodoluminescent properties of the ZnO‐Cu,Ga and ZnS‐Cu,Ga film phosphors

Abstract— A novel technique for cathodoluminescent screen fabrication using a new method of film phosphor doping has been developed. The crystalline structure and morphology of the films were investigated. Cathodoluminescence spectra were measured at different excitation levels and temperatures (300 and 77 K). The luminance is 200 cd/m² for ZnS:Cu, Ga and 1100 cd/m² for ZnO:Cu, Ga films at a temperature of 300 K and 3700 cd/m² for ZnO:Cu, Ga film at a temperature of 77 K. The films show more saturated green color than commercial phosphors.     

Modeling and optimization of ITO/Al/ITO multilayer films characteristics using neural network and genetic algorithm

In this paper, ITO/Al/ITO multilayer films are fabricated with the variations of Al film thickness and annealing temperature. The effects of Al film thickness and annealing temperature on sheet resistance, optical transmittance, and the figure of merit are analyzed in the aid of the artificial neural network (NNet) models. In order to verify the fitness of NNet model, the root mean square error (RMSE) of training and testing data are calculated. The NNet models well represent the measured sheet resistance, optical transmittance, and the figure of merit. After NNet model is established, genetic algorithm (GA) is used to find the optimum process condition for the ITO/Al/ITO multilayer films to obtain maximum figure of merit in the design space.     

Fine ZnO patterning with controlled sidewall-etch front slope

This paper describes a wet-etching technique that solves the major difficulty of fine patterning a c-axis oriented polycrystalline ZnO film. The technique uses aqueous NH/sub 4/Cl with electrolytically added copper ions and convection flow, and for the first time, allows the ZnO film to be etched 1) with controlled etch rate ratio between the vertical and horizontal etch rates and 2) with controlled etch-front slope. The ratio between the vertical and horizontal etch rates is as high as 20 to 1, while the angle between the sidewall etch-front surface and the substrate surface can be electrically controlled between 73/spl deg/ and 106/spl deg/. Also, ZnO films can now be patterned to fine features (even sub-/spl mu/m level) with a wet etchant. The electroless galvanic etching technique described in this paper produces uniform etching over a large area (larger than 3" in diameter).     

Ga‐doped zinc oxide: An attractive potential substitute for ITO,large‐area coating,and control of electrical and optical properties on glass and polymer substrates

Abstract— Ga‐doped ZnO (GZO) films with thicknesses of 30–560 nm were prepared on glass substrates at 200°C by ion plating with direct‐current arc discharge. The dependences of the characteristics of GZO films on thickness were investigated. All the polycrystalline GZO films, which showed high transmittance in the visible region, were ZnO crystallites with a wurtzite structure highly oriented along the (0002) plane. The resistivity, ρ, of GZO films decreases with increasing film thickness. The highest ρ achieved is 4.4 × 10⁻⁴ Ω‐cm with a carrier concentration, n, of 7.6 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ and a Hall mobility, μ, of 18.5 cm²/V‐sec, determined by Hall effect measurement for the GZO films with a thickness of 30 nm, and the lowest ρ is 1.8 × 10⁻⁴ Ω‐cm with n = 1.1 × 10²¹ cm⁻³ and μ = 31.7 m²/V‐sec for the GZO film with a thickness of 560 nm. In addition, highly transparent GZO films with thicknesses of 12–300 nm were fabricated on unheated polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The ρ of these transparent GZO films decreased from 20 to 4 × 10⁻⁴ Ω‐cm with film thickness.     

Broadband transparent metamaterial absorber in wireless communication band based on indium tin oxide film

In this article, a broadband optically transparent metamaterial absorber in wireless communication band is proposed. Indium tin oxide (ITO) film, a kind of resistive transparent thin film, is utilized to construct the absorber unit to realize optical transparency, and increase ohmic loss to broaden the absorption bandwidth. The proposed absorber is fabricated and measured. The measurement results are in good agreement with the simulations. It is demonstrated that the absorption rate of the proposed absorber is higher than 90% from 1.67 to 3.8 GHz. The full width at half maximum bandwidth is 5.11 GHz from 0.89 to 6 GHz. In addition, the absorption response of the absorber remains stable regardless of polarization and incidence angle of the electromagnetic waves.     

Electrical properties of nickel oxide thin films for flow sensor application

In this work, Ni oxide thin films, with thermal sensitivity superior to Pt and Ni thin films, were formed through annealing of Ni films deposited by a r.f. magnetron sputtering. The annealing was carried out in the temperature range of 300–500 °C under atmospheric conditions. Resistivity of the resulting Ni oxide films were in the range of 10.5 μΩ cm/°C to 2.84 × 10⁴ μΩ cm/°C, depending on the extent of Ni oxidation. The temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the Ni oxide films also depended on the extent of Ni oxidation; the average TCR of Ni oxide resistors, measured between 0 and 150 °C, were 5630 ppm/°C for the 300 °C and 2188 ppm/°C for 500 °C films. Because of their high resistivity and very linear TCR, Ni oxide thin films are superior to pure Ni and Pt thin films for flow and temperature sensor applications.     

Preparation of BST ferroelectric thin film by metal organic decomposition for infrared sensor

Barium strontium titanate (Ba_1−xSr_xTiO₃) ferroelectric thin films have been prepared by metal organic decomposition (MOD) on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si and on micromachined wafer with an aim to fabricate dielectric bolometer type infrared (IR) sensor. The XRD pattern and D–V hysteresis curve of the film have been measured in order to investigate the effects of the final annealing temperature and annealing time on the property of the film. The results show that the films annealed at 700 °C or 800 °C all have good perovskite structure, while the film annealed at 800 °C has better ferroelectric loops. Films annealed at 800 °C with different annealing time from 5 to 60 min show a similar perovskite structure, among which films annealed at 30 and 60 min condition have the better ferroelectric loops. Temperature coefficient of dielectric constant (TCD) of the MOD made BST thin film on micromachined substrate is about 1%/K. The uniformity of the BST film on micromachined Si wafer also has been confirmed to be good enough for operation of sensor array. Chopperless operation has been attained and infrared response evaluation of the fabricated sensor also has been carried out with R_v of 0.4 kV/W and D^* of 1.0×10⁸ cm Hz^1/2/W, respectively.     

石英湿法腐蚀及侧壁晶棱修平工艺研究

以石英陀螺的微结构为研究对象,对石英的湿法腐蚀规律进行研究.选用500 μn厚Z切向石英片,蒸镀10 nm厚Cr膜和200 nm厚金膜作为掩模层,选用40%氢氟酸和40%氟化铵的1:1混合溶液作为腐蚀液.通过在不同温度下的腐蚀试验,表明腐蚀速率随温度增加而增大,温度过低腐蚀过慢影响腐蚀效率,温度过高使石英侧壁表面粗糙度增加.经过试验摸索,在70℃下腐蚀,可获得表面质量较好的石英微结构.石英在湿法腐蚀中结构侧壁会产生两级晶棱,根据侧壁主要晶面的腐蚀速率,计算出修平侧壁两级晶棱所需时间分别为8h和27h,经过试验验证,在预计时间内,石英侧壁晶棱基本修平.     

Design and implementation of novel thin film position-sensitive detectors (TFPSDs) based on photoconductive effect

In this paper, novel, very simple and low-cost thin film position sensitive detectors (TFPSDs) which employ indium tin oxide (ITO)-cadmium sulfide (CdS)-Au structures are presented. Different from the existed PSDs those based on lateral photovoltage effect, the proposed sensor is operated in principle of photoconductive effect. CdS film is chosen as the photosensitive layer since its excellent photoconductive property, low cost and suitable for depositing on different type substrates with large areas. In the present study, CdS films are deposited on silicon substrates by using rf magnetron sputtering at room temperature. After that, the prepared CdS films were annealed at different temperatures for 50 min in N₂ ambient and a rigorous analysis was presented on the surface topography, and photoconductive properties by scanning electron microscopy and semiconductor characteristics analyzer. The test results shows that the film annealed at 400 °C has the best photoconductive property. Moreover, the finite-element method was used to study the relationship between the Aluminium (Al) electrode shape and the linearity of PSD. Three different type PSDs (quadrilateral, rectangular-shaped and pillow-shaped) were designed and simulated. The simulation results indicate that the quadrilateral electrode is suitable for large-area PSDs, whereas the rectangular-shaped and pillow-shaped electrodes can be used to realize small-area PSDs. The measurement results shows that the non-linearities of three type PSDs with dimensions of 10 × 10 mm are respectively 2.106, 3.594, and 3.55 %, which verify the conclusion deduced from the simulation results.     

Defect-free wet etching through pyrex glass using Cr/Au mask

This paper reports the highest etch depth of annealed Pyrex glass achieved by wet etching in highly concentrated HF solution, using a low stress chromium–gold with assistance of photoresist as masking layer. The strategies to achieve that are: increasing the etch rate of glass and simultaneously increasing the resistance of Cr/Au mask in the etchant. By annealing the Pyrex glass and using a highly concentrated HF acid, a high etch rate can be obtained. Furthermore, a method to achieve a good resistance of the Cr/Au masking layer in the etching solution is to control the residual stress and to increase the thickness of Au deposition up to 1 μm. In addition, the presence of a hard baked photoresist can improve the etching performance. As a result, a 500-μm thick Pyrex glass wafer was etched through.     

Electron‐beam deposition of MgO on plastic substrate and manufacturing flexible flat fluorescent lamp

Abstract— A flexible fluorescent lamp that utilizes the same plasma discharge mode as in PDPs has been manufactured. The structure of the flexible lamp is simple and easy to manufacture. All‐plastic materials including plastic substrates, barrier ribs (spacers), and sealants for low‐temperature manufacturing processing have been adopted except for the phosphor and MgO thin film. The MgO thin films were coated on the plastic substrates as a protection layer against the plasma discharge. The adhesion and biaxial texture of MgO thin film deposited on the plastic substrates, poly‐ethyle‐nenaphthalate (PEN) and polycarbonate (PC), at low temperature (100–180°C) has been characterized. The MgO film on PEN shows good adhesion under a repeated bending test. The manufactured flexible lamp consists of two plastic substrates of about 3 in. on the diagonal, barrier rib (spacer), and external ITO electrodes. The Ne‐Xe (5%) gas mixture at 100–200 Torr was used for the discharge gas. A maximum surface luminance of about 100 cd/m² was achieved for a 1 ‐kHz AC pulse.