Room-temperature epitaxial growth of indium tin oxide thin films on Si substrates with an epitaxial CeO 2 ultrathin buffer

Abstract

Room-temperature epitaxy of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films was achieved on Si(111) substrates with an epitaxial CeO 2 ultrathin buffer using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The epitaxial CeO 2 buffer layer was also grown at room temperature. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction and pole figure X-ray diffraction analyses confirmed the formation of a double heteroepitaxial structure of ITO(111)/CeO 2(111)/Si(111) with the epitaxial relationship of [−110] ITO//[−110] CeO2//[1–10] Si. The junction of [ITO: 100 nm thick/CeO 2: 3 nm thick/ p-Si(111)] fabricated at room temperature exhibited solar cell properties.