AlZnO magnetron sputtered thin film for photovoltaic application

Abstract

Aluminum zinc oxide (AZO) is a nontoxic and a low-cost material that finds application as a transparent conducting electrode in photovoltaic devices. In this study the (direct current) DC magnetron sputtering of AZO films is carried out at different deposition times of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 min’s at room temperature and it’s structural, optical, electrical and morphological properties are studied for its use as a front contact for thin film solar cell application. The structural study suggests that the preferred orientation of grains along (002) plane having hexagonal structure and the optical and the electrical studies suggest that the films show an average transmission of 70% and a resistivity of the order of 10-4Ωcm. On the other hand, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images suggest the formation of packed grains having a homogeneous surface. Moreover in order to study the optoelectronic properties of prepared samples, the electronic and optical calculations of the AZO are performed by the first-principles calculations using density functional theory (DFT).