Abstract
In this report, we prepared transparent and conducting undoped and molybdenum-doped tin oxide (Mo–SnO2) thin films by aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD). The relationship between the precursor concentration in the feed and in the resulting films was studied by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, suggesting that the efficiency of doping is quantitative and that this method could potentially impart exquisite control over dopant levels. All SnO2 films were in tetragonal structure as confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction measurements. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterisation indicated for the first time that Mo ions were in mixed valence states of Mo(VI) and Mo(V) on the surface. Incorporation of Mo6+ resulted in the lowest resistivity of 7.3 times 10^{{ - 3}} Omega ,{text{cm}}, compared to pure SnO2 films with resistivities of 4.3left( 0 right) times 10^{{ - 2}} Omega ,{text{cm}}. Meanwhile, a high transmittance of 83% in the visible light range was also acquired. This work presents a comprehensive investigation into impact of Mo doping on SnO2 films synthesised by AACVD for the first time and establishes the potential for scalable deposition of SnO2:Mo thin films in TCO manufacturing.Graphical abstract
Highlights
Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are a type of material based on wide-bandgap metal oxide semiconductors that are simultaneously optically transparent in the visible-NIR light range and electrically conductive as thin films ðthickness \ 1lmÞ
We report the deposition of SnO2:Mo thin films via aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) and the impact of Mo doping on crystal growth mechanics and optoelectronic properties of SnO2 films prepared were systematically studied by a wide range of characterisation techniques including powder XRD, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy
The elemental compositions of these SnO2:Mo coatings were analysed by energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy
Summary
Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are a type of material based on wide-bandgap metal oxide semiconductors that are simultaneously optically transparent in the visible-NIR light range and electrically conductive as thin films ðthickness \ 1lmÞ. AACVD is a variant of conventional CVD which depends on carrier gas transporting precursor aerosols to the deposition zone with elevated temperature In this modified CVD technique, a precursor or precursors containing the requisite atoms to produce the solid-state materials is dissolved in a solvent and the solution is placed above a vibrating piezoelectric plate to generate mist. AACVD has several advantages over common thin-film deposition techniques, such as an extensive range of possible precursors that can be utilised owing to the requirement for volatile precursors found in conventional CVD being removed, simple operation, relatively precise control over doping levels due to the bottom-up nature of the process and the potential for scale-up [32].
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