Aluminum-doped Zinc Oxide Films Research Articles

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide thickness controllable wavelengths in visible light and high responsivity devices using interrupted flow atomic layer deposition

In this study, we develop a highly sensitive visible light photodetector that utilizes a thin-film structure composed of low-cost aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and n-type silicon. The AZO thickness can be adequately controlled to fit the different wavelengths of interest for photodetectors in the visible light range using interrupted flow atomic layer deposition (ALD). This in situ aluminum doping method ensures a uniform aluminum distribution within the AZO thin films and effectively increases the internal film reflections and photoresponsivity. The Schottky interface with n-type silicon is created by degenerated AZO due to the lower Fermi level, and visible light can effectively penetrate the underlying depletion zone. Optical simulation of the high conductivity of AZO indicated that the optimal thickness was 54.6, 65.8, and 91.7 nm for devices illuminated with 450 nm blue, 525 nm green and 700 nm red light, respectively. Hall effect measurements confirmed that the AZO film can achieve a low resistivity of 5 × 10–4 Ω-cm and high carrier concentration of 3 × 1020 cm−3 at a suitable precursor ratio. Additionally, AZO films offer multifunctionality by providing optical antireflective properties and forming Schottky junctions with n-type silicon to enable photoelectric conversion. This multifunctional role of AZO was experimentally validated through electrical, optical, and optical-to-electrical experiments, which showed that the optimized device can reach an optical responsivity of approximately 10.7 AW−1 at specific visible light wavelengths. The significant photoelectrical conversion efficiency and simple thin-film structure design facilitate future applications in light intensity measurement, such as in colorimetry or fluorometry.

Temperature shock to manipulate the optical properties of Al-doped ZnO films

We constructed the 2 × 2 × 2 Aluminum-doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) supercrystal cell structure and developed the temperature shock experiment at −40 °C–85 °C. The results showed that the temperature shock can increase the absorption rate of AZO, decrease the transmittance and the band gap of AZO, and change the density of electronic states near the Fermi level. The AZO films were also subjected to temperature shock of −40°C–85 °C, it shows that the transmittance and band gap of AZO films both decreased after temperature shock. The experimental results show that the temperature shock reduce the transmittance and the band gap width of the AZO films. The results are hoped to be helpful to understand the degeneration and improvement of the optical properties of AZO films under temperature shock loading and predict the performance of AZO films.

Influence of Sputtering Pressure on the Conductivity and Transparency of Aluminum-Doped Zinc Oxide Films

Influence of Sputtering Pressure on the Conductivity and Transparency of Aluminum-Doped Zinc Oxide Films

Evaluation of thermal stresses on thin Al and AZO films deposited on polyethylene terephthalate substrates for flexible electronics applications

Thin aluminum (Al) films are widely used in electronic devices and flexible photovoltaics. In a similar capacity, Aluminum Doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) serves the same purpose. This study examines the sensitivity of both films to thermal stresses when sputtered onto Polyethylene Terephthalate substrates. These stresses include a constant temperature of 100 °C and temperature fluctuations ranging from 0 °C to 100 °C. The resistance of the films was affected by isothermal aging, but not by thermal cycling. Interestingly, thermal cycling led to microcracks in the film, while isothermal aging resulted in a slight increase in bonding and oxygen content in the Al films. For AZO films, imaging did not reveal any noticeable changes in morphology. However, both thermal cycling and isothermal aging led to a minor increase in the resistance of AZO films. These findings highlight the pronounced impact of thermal stress on the performance and structural integrity of both thin films.

Effects of TiO2 thin films on silicon nanowire arrays in heterojunction solar cells

In recent years, the energy crisis has gained increasing attention, with greater emphasis being placed on renewable energy. Currently, solar power is regarded as the most developed form of renewable energy. Many materials have been used in solar cells. Radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering is an effective technique used to produce large-area, easy-to-process thin films. In this study, we fabricated p-layer silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays by using electroless etching to replace previous multilayer films. TiO2-SiNW array heterojunctions were fabricated by preparing TiO2 as an N layer through magnetron sputtering. Subsequently, the Grey–Taguchi method was used to analyze and optimize p–n heterojunctions with TiO2 films. After the effects of the sputtering parameters (RF power, process pressure, deposition temperature, and deposition time) on surface morphology, material structure, photoelectric conversion efficiency, and reflectivity were investigated, an aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) window layer was added and annealed. Grey correlation analysis revealed a decrease in reflectivity from 8.02225 % to 7.72081 % and an increase in photoelectric conversion efficiency from 0.01915 % to 0.082 %. During the confirmation runs, the TiO2 film was found to be amorphous and wrapped around an array of SiNWs. After the AZO window layer was added, reflectivity increased to 18.04712 %, and the efficiency of photoelectric conversion increased to 0.124 %. In addition, according to the results of the confirmation runs, the AZO film was polymorphic. These experimental results confirm the effectiveness of RF magnetron sputtering, which provides high reflectivity and photoelectric conversion efficiency.

Multifunctional Al-doped ZnO thin films for vertically aligned liquid crystal devices

The integration of ITO-free transparent conductive layers remains a big challenge for development of next generation technologies. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of transparent and conductive Aluminum-doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) thin films to operate simultaneously as electrode and alignment layer in Liquid Crystal (LC) device configuration. Controlling the growth process of AZO thin films by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technique results of predominantly (100) crystallographic oriented AZO with very high transparency and excellent conductivity. The exceptionally low surface free energy of (100) oriented AZO, along with the topological modification following the mechanical rubbing treatment were used to elucidate the mechanism of LC molecules alignment on the surface of AZO film. The uniform vertical orientation of the nematic LC director was confirmed by polarized optical microscopy and pretilt angle measurements. The competitive electro-optical performance in terms of phase modulation, threshold and saturation voltages and contrast ratio of the assembled LC device reveals the great potential of AZO thin films as transparent electrode and alignment layer for future LC display applications with versatile functionality.

Electrical, morphological, optical and mathematical simulations equations studies in CAZO, CZO, AZO and ZNO films

Purpose In this paper, it can be seen from AFM images of the as-deposited ZnO and CZO films, and the particle size and shape are not clear, while by increasing annealing temperature, they become distinguishable. By increasing temperature to 600°C, ZnO and CZO, CAZO and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films particles became almost spherical. Due to high content of Cu in CZO target, and of Al in AZO target which was 5% weight ratio, doping plays a great role in the subject. Therefore, the annealing processing strongly affect the size and the shape of nanoparticles. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors tried to study, in detail, nobel optical characterizations of ZnO films doped by transition metals in different annealing temperature. The authors found that the values of skin depth, optical density, electron–phonon interaction, steepness parameter, band tail width, direct and indirect carriers transitions and the dissipation factor, free carriers density and roughness of films affect the optical properties, especially the optical absorptions of ZnO films doped by transition metals. Also these properties were affected by annealing temperatures. The authors also found that topography characterizations strongly were affected by these parameters. Findings The CZO films have maximum value of coordination number ß, with considering NC = 4, Za = 2, Ne = 8. The CZO films annealed at 500 °C have maximum value of optical density. The as-deposited CAZO films have maximum value of steepness parameters in about of 0.13 eV. The as-deposited AZO films have maximum value of dispersion energy Ed in about of 5.75 eV. Optical gap and disordering energy plots of films can be fitted by linear relationships Eg = 0.49 + 0.2 EU and Eg = 0.52 + 0.5 EU, respectively. Originality/value With considering Nc = 4, Za = 2, Ne = 8 for ZnO films, coordination number ß has maximum value of 0.198. CZO nanocomposites films annealed at 500°C have maximum value of optical density. Different linear fitting of ln (α) for films were obtained as y = Ax + B where 5<A < 17 and 5<B < 12. As-deposited CAZO nanocomposites films have minimum value of electron phonon interaction in about of 4.91 eV. Optical gap and disordering energy plots can be fitted by linear relationships Eg = 0.49 + 0.2 EU and Eg = 0.52 + 0.5 EU for as-deposited films and films annealed at 500°C, respectively. Steepness parameters of as-deposited CAZO nanocomposites films have maximum value of 0.13 eV. Dispersion energy Ed for as-deposited AZO nanocomposites films has maximum value of 5.75 eV.

Progress in the Synthesis and Application of Transparent Conducting Film of AZO (ZnO:Al).

Due to the excellent performance and low cost of the new aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) film, it is expected to replace the mature indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) film. The research status and progress of AZO transparent conductive films are summarized in this review. Moreover, the structure, optoelectronic properties, and conductive mechanism of AZO thin films are also detailed. The thin films' main preparation processes and the advantages and disadvantages of each process method are mainly discussed, and their application fields are expounded. AZO thin films with multicomponent composite structures are one of the promising development directions in transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin films. The development of various preparation processes has promoted the production and application of thin films on a broad scale. Finally, some improvement schemes have been proposed to improve the comprehensive performance of the film. The industrialization prospects of the AZO film, as well as its great development potential in the digital world, are discussed.

Ultralow Thermal Conductivity and Improved Thermoelectric Properties of Al‐Doped ZnO by In Situ O2 Plasma Treatment

The thriving of Internet‐of‐Things and integrated wireless sensor networks has brought an unprecedented demand for sustainable micro‐Watt‐scale power supplies. Development of high‐performing micro‐thermoelectric generator (μ‐TEG) that can convert waste thermal energy into electricity and provide sustainable micro‐Watt‐scale power is therefore extremely timely and important. Herein, a significant advance in the development of earth‐abundant, nontoxic thermoelectric materials of aluminum‐doped zinc oxide (AZO) is presented. Through nanostructure engineering using a novel in situ O2 plasma treatment, AZO films are demonstrated with ultralow thermal conductivity of 0.16 W m−1 K−1 which is the lowest reported in the literature. This nanostructured film yields a power factor of 294 μW m−1 K−2 at 563 K and has resulted in a state‐of‐the‐art ZT of 0.11 at room temperature and 0.72 at 563 K for AZO thin films. Furthermore, the fabrication and testing of a prototype lateral μ‐TEG are reported based on the AZO thin film which achieves a power output of 1.08 nW with an applied temperature difference of 16.9 °C.

Aluminum and Molybdenum Co-Doped Zinc Oxide Films as Dual-Functional Carrier-Selective Contact for Silicon Solar Cells.

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) is considered as a promising candidate as transparent conductive oxide (TCO) for silicon heterojunction solar cells due to its high carrier density, nontoxic nature, and low cost. Herein, it is presented that the transparency of the AZO film can be optimized through co-sputtering of AZO and molybdenum oxide (MoOx). Furthermore, aluminum and molybdenum co-doped zinc oxide (MAZO) can be used as both the TCO layer and electron-selective contact (ESC) for silicon heterojunction solar cells. The surface morphology, cation oxidation state, and optical and electrical properties of all MAZO films are characterized. It is found that the transmittance of all MAZO films is significantly increased at a wavelength of 450-800 nm due to MAZO with a stronger Zn-O bond and a wider band gap. The conductivity of MAZO films is approximate to AZO films at a low MoOx target deposit power (50 W), and the sheet resistance of MAZO films increases significantly by increasing the deposition power up to 100 W. Finally, the optimized MAZO films are used as TCO and ESC for silicon heterojunction solar cells, showing a power conversion efficiency of 19.58%. The results show an effective stage to improve the optical properties of AZO through co-doping and the possibility of applying MAZO as a dual-functional layer for silicon solar cells.

Grass-like alumina enhances transmittance and electrical conductivity of atomic layer deposited Al-doped ZnO for thermoelectric and TCO applications

Transparent thermoelectric materials enable the integration of sensing and energy harvesting devices on various surfaces such as windows and user interfaces. A key constraint for device performance in such applications is the available surface area from which the thermoelectric power should be harvested without compromising the optical properties. Here, we demonstrate atomic layer deposition (ALD) of aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO), the most prominent n-type thermoelectric material, on grass-like alumina (GLA), a high-performance, low-cost antireflective coating. The conformal nature of the ALD process enables the AZO growth to closely follow the topography of the underlying GLA film, therefore providing an increased effective surface area compared to a reference AZO film grown directly on plain glass. The films grown on GLA show an improved electrical conductivity attributed to additional doping by the GLA. The effect is pronounced at lower AZO thicknesses, resulting in a 228% increase in the electrical conductivity and an 80% increase in the thermoelectric power factor of 32 nm thick films. Moreover, the GLA-AZO films partly inherit the antireflective behavior of the GLA film, thus showing improved optical transparency compared to the reference AZO film on glass. Our results promote transparent thermoelectric devices with improved transparency and thermoelectric performance.

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) ultra-thin films deposited by radio frequency sputtering for flexible Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

Zinc oxide ultra-thin films doping with aluminum (AZO) were produced through radio frequency (rf) sputtering at a fixed pressure of 10 mTorr while varying the rf power between 80 and 140 W. The crystal structure of hexagonal Wurtzite was consistent throughout, with improved crystallinity observed at higher rf powers due to optimal diffusivity of the sputtered particles during nucleation and growth. The size of the crystallite was increased from 10.37 to 16.58 nm with increasing the rf power from 80 to 140 W. The Raman spectra provided evidence of the formation of ultra-thin AZO films, with discernable changes in morphology due to the influence of rf power. The value of optical band gap fluctuated between 3.49 and 3.58 eV as a function of rf power, a basis of the Burstein–Moss effect. The resistivity of the ultra-thin AZO films declined while augmenting rf power. A bilayer structure of intrinsic ZnO (i-ZnO) and AZO was fabricated and exhibited good transmittance, well-crystalline morphology, and excellent electrical conductivity. The optimized window layer (i-ZnO and AZO) was used to produce flexible Cu(In,Ga)Se2(CIGSe) solar cells with a photo conversion efficiency of 9.53%. Therefore, ultra-thin ZnO films exhibit potential as a favorable option for a window layer in the production of high-efficient flexible solar cells in cost effective way.

Novel DAZO Film with a Negative Temperature Coefficient Effect and Its Application Prospects for the Thermal Runaway Warning System in Batteries

A novel dopamine- and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (DAZO) sensing film was prepared by blending DAZO nanoparticles with silicone latex; this film has promising applications for the thermal runaway warning system of new energy batteries. The DAZO nanoparticles were generated by the coprecipitation–calcination method through the structure-orienting modification of eco-friendly polydopamine biomaterials, followed by the doping of aluminum and nitrogen into the zinc oxide lattice. Dopamine was used as a nitrogen source; it easily self-polymerizes to form polydopamine, which is then pyrolyzed and doped into the zinc oxide lattice. The negative temperature coefficient (NTC) effects of the DAZO film and the aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) film below 150 °C were tested and compared. The results showed that the DAZO film had a more pronounced NTC effect than the AZO film because of the doped nitrogen element. DAZO films exhibited good recyclability and thermal stability during the high-low temperature NTC cycle test. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry/mass spectrometry (TG–MS), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were performed to characterize the fabrication of the synthesis mechanism of the DAZO nanoparticles. The NTC effects of DAZO films with varying aluminum doping amounts, varying dopamine doping amounts, and different pH values were investigated. Nitrogen doping in the conventional AZO nanoparticles enhanced the sensitivity and low-temperature NTC effect; this is because of the increase in the DAZO grain size due to doping and the structure–orientation of polydopamine, which further leads to the increase in the height of the grain boundary potential barrier. On the basis of the test results, an alarm response device at different temperatures was initially established, and its alarm response at different temperatures was simulated and tested, which showed the possibility of the application of the DAZO film to the runaway warning system for the new energy batteries.

AZO work function enhanced by oxygen plasma immersion ion implantation

The surface of aluminum-doped ZnO (AZO) films was modified using the oxygen plasma immersion ion implantation method, which is also called O-PIII. The modified AZO films were analyzed by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy system (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), a UV–visible spectrophotometer, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and a Kelvin probe instrument (KP). The results showed that O-PIII modification can further enhance the work function (WF) of AZO based on oxygen plasma (O-ICP) treatment. The optical characteristics of AZO thin films are nearly entirely preserved, and the surface morphology is enhanced. The variation in WF was strongly linked to the surface stoichiometry. The reduction of oxygen vacancies should be attributed to the high WF. The WF of the modified AZO films decreased rapidly with exposure time in the air promptly following O-ICP and O-PIII modification. Nonetheless, the O-PIII treatment had a longer-lasting effect.

Spray-Deposited Aluminum-Doped Zinc Oxide as an Efficient Electron Transport Layer for Inverted Organic Solar Cells

Spray-deposited thin films of zinc oxide (ZnO) and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (Al-ZnO) are characterized in detail to get insight into the role of a dopant in the matrix. ZnO and Al-ZnO are implemented as electron transport layers (ETLs) in inverted organic solar cells (IOSCs) with PTB7-Th as a donor and IEICO-4F as a nonfullerene acceptor, forming the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) photoactive layer. Organic solar cells (OSCs) based on the ZnO ETL exhibit a short-circuit current density (JSC) of 24.46 mA/cm2 and an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 0.68 V, yielding a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 9.3%. A solar cell based on the Al-ZnO ETL yields a higher JSC of 25.16 mA/cm2 and a VOC of 0.71 V, resulting in a PCE of 10.5%, which indicates that Al doping improves the device performance. Time-delayed collection field (TDCF) measurements yielded field-independent charge generation for both devices. Furthermore, steady-state photoluminescence (PL), time-resolved PL, and transient absorption measurements confirm reduction in the number of defect states in Al-ZnO thin films compared to ZnO thin films and efficient charge transfer, yielding an overall improved IOSC device performance.

Aluminum-Doped Zinc Oxide Enzymatic Dopamine Biosensor Integrated With Potentiometric Readout Circuit Board

In this study, the standard industrial flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) was employed to fabricate the potentiometric enzymatic dopamine (DA) biosensor. The aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) was used to make the sensing films of the DA sensor. This sensing film was prepared by a radio frequency (RF) sputtering system. The thickness and surface morphology of the AZO films were observed by the field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and the elemental composition and oxidation state of the films were analyzed through X-ray electron spectroscopy (XPS). Tyrosinase (Tyr) was used as the enzyme of the sensor, which was immobilized on AZO film with (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and glutaraldehyde. After the sensor was prepared, we integrated the sensor and the readout circuit board through the FPCB connecter and then measured the sensing characteristics of the DA sensor in the DA concentration range of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1~\mu \text{M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> –10 mM. The sensing characteristics mostly include average sensitivity and linearity, limit of detection (LOD), interference effect, response time, reproducibility, flexibility, and lifetime. Based on the experimental results, the DA sensor in this study has good sensing characteristics. Through the enzyme, the sensor has good selectivity for DA in the presence of other relatively high concentrations interfered with biomolecules.

High-performance antireflection nanostructure arrays on aluminum-doped zinc oxide film fabricated with femtosecond laser near-field processing

Transmittance is critical to the performance of optoelectronic devices, and the fabrication of nanostructure arrays with sizes and periods similar to wavelengths on optical surfaces can effectively reduce reflectance and increase transmittance. A method combining a femtosecond laser and the near-field effect of polystyrene (PS) microspheres to prepare integrated high-performance anti-reflective nanostructure arrays on aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) film was proposed in this study. The near-field effect of microspheres with different diameters on a laser light field for several laser wavelengths was simulated with the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The simulation results showed that a 10-fold improvement of the intensity of a focused laser beam could be obtained with the combination of an 800-nm laser and 1-μm PS microspheres. Nano-craters on the surface of the AZO film were obtained with femtosecond laser irradiation. The depth and the area of these nano craters both increased with the increase of the laser fluences and tended toward saturation when the fluence went from 0.67 to 0.83 J/cm2. Facilitated by the gradient refractive index formed by the nano-craters, the transmittance of the sample treated with 0.83 J/cm2 increased by 8% in the 400–1100 nm band and even by 15% in the 400–600 nm band. The ablation mechanism was revealed by the time-resolved pump-probe technique, which proved that the nano-craters were formed by the phase explosion, and the smooth bottom with fine cracks was induced by the inhomogeneous resolidification of the superheated liquid phase. Our method could endow a photoelectric device with high-performance integrated anti-reflection capability, eliminating the need for additional anti-reflection coating.

In-Operando Optical Spectroscopy of Field-Effect-Gated Al-Doped ZnO

Transparent conductive oxides (TCO) have the unique characteristics of combining optical transparency with high electrical conductivity; such a property makes them uniquely alluring for applications in visible and infrared photonics. One of their most interesting features is the large sensitivity of their optical response to the doping level. We performed the active electrical manipulation of the dielectric properties of aluminum-doped ZnO (AZO), a TCO-based on Earth-abundant elements. We actively tuned the optical and electric performances of AZO films by means of an applied voltage in a parallel-plate capacitor configuration, with SrTiO3 as the dielectric, and monitored the effect of charge injection/depletion by means of in-operando spectroscopic ellipsometry. Calculations of the optical response of the gated system allowed us to extract the spatially resolved variations in the dielectric function of the TCO and infer the injected/depleted charge profile at the interface.

Front SiON/TCO Stacks Development for Double-Side Poly-Si/SiOX Passivated Contacts Solar Cells

This article reports on the use of a front-side SiON/transparent conductive oxide (TCO) bilayer in double-side poly-Si/SiO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">X</sub> -based passivated contacts solar cells. This approach presents the advantage of a low indium consumption either by reducing the indium-based TCO thickness or by enhancing its substitution with a zinc-based TCO, such as aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO). Thickness optimizations with optical simulations have been performed. An electrical study with a TCO thickness reduced to 20 nm on textured surfaces has shown excellent responses for SiON/TCO stacks, especially regarding the contact resistivity. Finally, the developed SiON/TCO bilayers were integrated in complete solar cells. Interestingly, the substitution of the standard 70-nm-thick ITO layer by a 20-nm-thick ITO film covered by SiON led to an efficiency gain of +0.2% abs. Regarding AZO, the replacement of the standard 70-nm-thick AZO layer by a 20-nm-thick AZO film covered by SiON resulted in a <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">J</i> <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">SC</sub> gain of +0.7 mA/cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . These gains in performances could be raised with further posttreatments. However, the current results already confirm the possibility to optimize thin-poly-Si-based passivated contacts solar cells toward In-free fabrication processes.

Systematic investigations on morphological properties of aluminum-doped zinc oxide transparent electrode prepared from pulsed laser deposition and its electrochromic application

Transparent electrode (TE) is considered as one of the fundamental components in the optoelectronics. The surface of TE layer plays a crucial role in the charge-transport characteristics. Herein, a systematic investigation on the morphological properties of the laser-ablated aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films as a TE material prepared from various laser fluences is demonstrated. It is revealed that the electrical properties of AZO films are strongly associated with their surface properties rather than that of the bulk film. As the laser fluence increased, the concentration of Al-dopant in AZO films is decreased which directly impacts on the electrical properties. Such vanishment is originated from the bombardment of the incident particles/ions with excessive kinetic energy on film's surface during the deposition. Moreover, the optimized AZO film with low resistivity (1.13 × 10−3 Ω cm) and high optical transmittance (over 90%) achieved from controlling the laser fluence at 0.7 J/cm2 is employed as TE layer in the electrochromic device. Our results highlight that the surface properties of TE layer are very critical for electronic performance.