Pressure Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition Research Articles

Spatial atomic layer deposition of nitrogen-doped alumina thin films for high-performance perovskite solar cell encapsulation

An atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD) system is used to deposit nitrogen-doped alumina (N-AlOx) thin-film-encapsulation layers. The rapid nature of the AP-SALD process facilitates deposition of 60-nm layers directly on perovskite solar cells at 130 °C with no damage to the temperature-sensitive perovskite and organic materials. Varying the bubbling of a NH4OH precursor varied the nitrogen concentration from 0.08 to 0.68 at%. These small concentrations were found to have a significant impact on the structural properties of the films and their moisture barrier performance. The N-AlOx thin films had slightly higher growth rates than undoped AlOx, less unwanted hydroxyl and carbon content, and were smoother and more compact, which was attributed to a higher flux of reactive species from the volatile NH4OH. Optical calcium tests showed that the N-AlOx films had lower water-vapor-transmission rates (∼10-5 g/m2/day) than undoped AlOx films and the transmission was minimized for 0.28% nitrogen. The increased compactness of the N-AlOx films is expected to minimize nanoscale percolation pathways, whereas higher nitrogen-defect concentrations may facilitate water permeation through these pathways. The stability of n-i-p and p-i-n perovskite solar cells under standard ISOS-D-1 and ISOS-D-3 testing conditions was significantly enhanced by the encapsulation layers. An N-AlOx encapsulation layer with 0.28% nitrogen improved the T80 value of a p-i-n formamidinium methylammonium lead iodide solar cell from 144 hrs to 855 hrs (ISOS-D-1) and 52 hrs to 300 hrs (ISOS-D-3).

Compositionally engineered amorphous InZnO thin-film transistor with high mobility and stability via atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition

Amorphous indium-zinc oxide (IZO) thin films, featuring indium atomic concentrations between 35.2 and 64.2 at.%, were fabricated using atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP S-ALD) at 250 °C, employing trimethylindium (TMI) and diethylzinc (DEZ) as precursors and ozone as the reactant, based on the atomic layer processing. The crystallinity and chemical bonding states of the IZO films were found to vary with the metal cation composition, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). We fabricated thin-film transistors (TFTs) employing the IZO films as the active layer on polyimide (PI) substrates, achieving high mobility (45.7 cm2/V·s), excellent bias-temperature stress (BTS) stability (ΔVTH = 0.63 V), and maintaining stable electrical properties even after mechanical bending tests along two different axes. This study highlights the successful development of high-performance flexible devices by precisely controlling the metal cation composition using AP S-ALD based on high deposition rate.

Mechatronic Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition for Closed‐Loop and Customizable Process Control

AbstractA customized atmospheric‐pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP‐SALD) system is designed and implemented, which enables mechatronic control of key process parameters, including gap size and parallel alignment. A showerhead depositor delivers precursors to the substrate while linear actuators and capacitance probe sensors actively maintain gap size and parallel alignment through multiple‐axis tilt and closed‐loop feedback control. Digital control of geometric process variables with active monitoring is facilitated with a custom software control package and user interface. AP‐SALD of TiO2 is performed to validate self‐limiting deposition with the system. A novel multi‐axis printing methodology is introduced using x‐y position control to define a customized motion path, which enables an improvement in the thickness uniformity by reducing variations from 8% to 2%. In the future, this mechatronic system will enable experimental tuning of parameters that can inform multi‐physics modeling to gain a deeper understanding of AP‐SALD process tolerances, enabling new pathways for non‐traditional SALD processing that can push the technology towards large‐scale manufacturing.

Silver Nanowire-Based Transparent Electrodes for V2O5 Thin Films with Electrochromic Properties.

The development of electrochromic systems, known for the modulation of their optical properties under an applied voltage, depends on the replacement of the state-of-the-art ITO (In2O3:Sn) transparent electrode (TE) as well as the improvement of electrochromic films. This study presents an innovative ITO-free electrochromic film architecture utilizing oxide-coated silver nanowire (AgNW) networks as a TE and V2O5 as an electrochromic oxide layer. The TE was prepared by simple spray deposition of AgNWs that allowed for tuning different densities of the network and hence the resistance and transparency of the film. The conformal oxide coating (SnO2 or ZnO) on AgNWs was deposited by atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition, an open-air fast and scalable process yielding a highly stable electrode. V2O5 thin films were then deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on the AgNW-based TE. Independent of the oxide's nature, a 20 nm protective layer thickness was insufficient to prevent the deterioration of the AgNW network during V2O5 deposition. On the contrary, crystalline V2O5 films were grown on 30 nm thick ZnO or SnO2-coated AgNWs, exhibiting a typical orange color. Electrochromic characterization demonstrated that only V2O5 films deposited on 30 nm thick SnO2-coated AgNW showed characteristic oxidation-reduction peaks in the Li+-based liquid electrolyte associated with a reversible orange-to-blue color switch for at least 500 cycles. The electrochromic key properties of AgNW/SnO2 (30 nm)/V2O5 films are discussed in terms of structural and morphological changes due to the AgNW network and the nature and thickness of the two protective oxide coatings.

Nanocomposites based on Cu2O coated silver nanowire networks for high-performance oxygen evolution reaction.

The development of highly active, low-cost, and robust electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a crucial endeavor for the clean and economically viable production of hydrogen via electrochemical water splitting. Herein, cuprous oxide (Cu2O) thin films are deposited on silver nanowire (AgNW) networks by atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD). AgNW@Cu2O nanocomposites supported on conductive copper electrodes exhibited superior OER activity as compared to bare copper substrate and bare AgNWs. Moreover, a relationship between Cu2O thickness and OER activity was established. Notably, the most effective catalyst (AgNW@50nm-thick Cu2O) demonstrated very high OER activity with a low overpotential of 409 mV to deliver a current density of 10 mA cm-2 (η 10), a Tafel slope of 47 mV dec-1, a turnover frequency (TOF) of 4.2 s-1 at 350 mV, and good durability in alkaline media (1 M KOH). This highlights the potential of AgNWs as a powerful platform for the formation of highly efficient copper oxide catalysts towards OER. This work provides a foundation for the development of nanostructured Cu-based electrocatalysts for future clean energy conversion and storage systems.

Effect of different oxygen precursors on alumina deposited using a spatial atomic layer deposition system for thin-film encapsulation of perovskite solar cells

An atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition system operated in atmospheric-pressure spatial chemical vapor deposition conditions is employed to deposit alumina (AlO x ) thin films using trimethylaluminum and different oxidants, including water (H2O), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and ozone (O3). The impact of the oxygen precursor on the structural properties of the films and their moisture-barrier performance is investigated. The O3-AlO x films, followed by H2O2-AlO x , exhibit higher refractive indexes, lower concentrations of OH− groups, and lower water-vapor-transmission rates compared to the films deposited using water (H2O-AlO x ). The AlO x films are then rapidly deposited as thin-film-encapsulation layers on perovskite solar cells at 130 °C without damaging the temperature-sensitive perovskite and organic materials. The stability of the p–i–n formamidinium methylammonium lead iodide solar cells under standard ISOS-D-3 testing conditions (65 °C and 85% relative humidity) is significantly enhanced by the encapsulation layers. Specifically, the O3-AlO x and H2O2-AlO x layers result in a six-fold increase in the time required for the cells to degrade to 80% of their original efficiency compared to un-encapsulated cells.

High mobility and productivity of flexible In2O3 thin-film transistors on polyimide substrates via atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition

We fabricate In2O3 films using atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP S-ALD) and investigate their properties at various temperatures (150 °C–225 °C). As the temperature increased, the growth per cycle (GPC) increases, with the GPC and refractive index reaching values of 1.33 and 2.02, respectively, at 225 °C. The In2O3 thin film indicates a reduction in carrier concentration from 1.53 ± 1.37 × 1021 to 3.09 ± 0.53 × 1020 cm−3 as the temperature increased, and a decrease in the resistance from 3.55 ± 0.07 × 10−3 to 3.70 ± 0.01 × 10−4 Ω∙cm, which is attributed to a decrease in the impurity concentration (150 °C: 1.5 at.%; 175 °C: 1.0 at.%; 200 °C: N/A; 225 °C: N/A) and an increase in crystallinity. We use the In2O3 film as a channel layer in a top-gate bottom-contact thin-film transistor (TG-BC TFT). The device shows excellent performance characteristics, including a field-effect mobility of 69.8 cm2/V·s, a threshold voltage of −0.06 ± 0.22 V, and a subthreshold swing of 0.16 ± 0.01 V/decade. We successfully fabricated high-mobility TFTs and demonstrated their reliability via bias and 50,000 bending tests. The high-performance channel layer of the TFTs fabricated using AP S-ALD are promising for flexible applications.

Highly Transparent and Stable Flexible Electrodes Based on MgO/AgNW Nanocomposites for Transparent Heating Applications

AbstractTransparent electrodes (TE) based on silver nanowire (AgNW) exhibit good physical properties and constitute a promising alternative to transparent conductive oxides due to their low cost, flexibility, and low toxicity. Nevertheless, they suffer from stability issues over harsh conditions, and encapsulation allows to overcome these limitations. Herein, the low‐cost, scalable fabrication and study of transparent electrodes based on sprayed AgNW networks coated with MgO thin films deposited by atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP‐SALD) at mild deposition temperature (≤220 °C) is reported. Fabrication of MgO thin films by AP‐SALD is reported here for the first time, and their deposition on different substrates is optimized. MgO exhibits a pure phase and conformal growth with a preferential (220) crystalline orientation and a higher growth rate as compared to conventional atomic layer deposition (ALD). Furthermore, thanks to the conformal coating of MgO on AgNW, the obtained nanocomposites exhibit great optical transparency of ≈85% and flexibility while maintaining high stability under thermal and electrical stress. Indeed, this study shows a clear enhancement of the stability of AgNW networks for thin MgO coatings of only a few nanometers thick. Finally, a proof‐of‐concept transparent heater is fabricated to melt a piece of cheese.

Excellent conformality of atmospheric-pressure plasma-enhanced spatial atomic layer deposition with subsecond plasma exposure times

Atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (s-ALD) has emerged as a scalable deposition technique combining the advantages of ALD with high deposition rates, suitable for low-cost and high-volume applications. There is a growing interest in atmospheric-pressure plasma-enhanced spatial ALD (PE-s-ALD), e.g., to allow for deposition at reduced temperatures or for materials that are otherwise difficult to prepare by thermal ALD. For low-pressure PE-ALD, conformal films on high aspect ratio features have been achieved despite plasma radical recombination, and the aspects influencing conformality are fairly well understood. This work addresses surface recombination and conformality for atmospheric-pressure PE-s-ALD films. We demonstrate that conformality can be achieved for SiO2 and TiO2 films deposited by atmospheric-pressure PE-s-ALD inside high-aspect-ratio trenches with short plasma exposure times. Using plasma exposure of 0.73 s results in conformal SiO2 and TiO2 films in structures with aspect ratios of 74 and 219, respectively. Additionally, the recombination probabilities of oxygen radicals at atmospheric pressure are extracted to be 4×10−4 for SiO2 and 6×10−5 for TiO2. These results demonstrate that atmospheric-pressure PE-s-ALD can be used for conformal and high-speed depositions on 3D substrates.

Impact of air exposure on growth rate and electrical properties of SnO2 thin films by atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition

SnO2 thin film is one of the most studied transparent conductive materials that can be deposited using vacuum-free techniques such as atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD). This work studies SnO2 thin films prepared from tin(II) acetylacetonate and water vapor, with a particular focus on the impact of air exposure during the AP-SALD process on the growth rate and electrical properties of the films. In-situ resistance measurements and ex-situ Hall effect characterization demonstrated that longer exposure time of the growing film surface to the open air (t air) at 240 °C led to conductivity degradation, while the film thickness decreases. The theoretical calculations show that −OH and (oxygen molecule adsorbed on the five-coordinated Sn atom, also called O2 dimer) are the two most stable surface structures. The formation of is shown as the most thermodynamically favorable oxygen-related species on SnO2(110) surface formed when the film is exposed to the open air, giving rise to both the decrease of film thickness (associated with the desorption of −OH surface groups) and the increase of film resistivity versus t air. The optimized polycrystalline SnO2 sample demonstrated relatively good electrical performance, including an electrical resistivity of 9.3 × 10−3 Ω.cm, carrier density of 9.2 × 1019 cm−3, and Hall mobility of 7.3 cm2 V−1 s−1 at a growth temperature as low as 240 °C. Our findings reveal the critical impact of processing in the open air on the electrical conductivity of the obtained SnO2 films by AP-SALD coating technology.

Tuning the texture and polarity of ZnO thin films deposited by spatial atomic layer deposition through the addition of a volatile shape-directing agent

Many functional devices are nowadays based on thin films deposited by physical or chemical vapour deposition methods. Being able to control the texture of the films is very important to tune their functional properties. Texture is commonly tuned by either using single crystalline substrates or seed layers, or by modifying the deposition parameters (gas flows, precursor concentration, temperature, etc.). In this study a volatile shape-directing agent (VSDA), namely 4-(5)-Methylimidazole (4-(5)-MeIM), is used during the deposition of ZnO thin films by Atmospheric-Pressure Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (AP-SALD) to control the texture and growth rate of the films. In particular, ZnO thin films can be grown preferentially along [001], resulting in an enhanced piezoelectric coefficient. In addition, the polarity of the ZnO films also depends on the amount of VSDA used. An innovative industry-compatible approach to control texture and polarity of ZnO thin films is presented, having a clear potential for other functional materials and applications.

Silver nanowire electrodes for transparent light emitting devices based on WS2 monolayers

Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) monolayers with their direct band gap in the visible to near-infrared spectral range have emerged over the past years as highly promising semiconducting materials for optoelectronic applications. Progress in scalable fabrication methods for TMDCs like metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and the ambition to exploit specific material properties, such as mechanical flexibility or high transparency, highlight the importance of suitable device concepts and processing techniques. In this work, we make use of the high transparency of TMDC monolayers to fabricate transparent light-emitting devices (LEDs). MOCVD-grown WS2 is embedded as the active material in a scalable vertical device architecture and combined with a silver nanowire (AgNW) network as a transparent top electrode. The AgNW network was deposited onto the device by a spin-coating process, providing contacts with a sheet resistance below 10 Ω sq−1 and a transmittance of nearly 80%. As an electron transport layer we employed a continuous 40 nm thick zinc oxide (ZnO) layer, which was grown by atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD), a precise tool for scalable deposition of oxides with defined thickness. With this, LEDs with an average transmittance over 60% in the visible spectral range, emissive areas of several mm2 and a turn-on voltage of around 3 V are obtained.

WS2 and WS2-ZnO Chemiresistive Gas Sensors: The Role of Analyte Charge Asymmetry and Molecular Size.

We investigate the interaction of various analytes (toluene, acetone, ethanol, and water) possessing different structures, bonding, and molecular sizes with a laser-exfoliated WS2 sensing material in a chemiresistive sensor. The sensor showed a clear response to all analytes, which was significantly enhanced by modifying the WS2 surface. This was achieved by creating WS2-ZnO heterojunctions via the deposition of ZnO nanoparticles on the WS2 surface with a high-throughput, atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition system. Water and ethanol produced a much higher response compared to acetone and toluene for both the WS2 and WS2-ZnO sensing mediums. We resolved that the charge-asymmetry points in analyte molecules play a key role in determining the sensor response. High charge-asymmetry points correspond to highly polar bonds (HPBs) in a neutral molecule that have a high probability of interaction with the sensing medium. Our results indicate that the polarity of the HPBs primarily dictates the interaction between the analyte and sensing medium and consequently controls the response of the sensor. Moreover, the size of the analyte molecule was found to affect the sensing response; if two molecules have the same HPBs and are exposed to the same sensing medium, the smaller molecule is likely to produce a higher and faster response. Our study provides a comprehensive picture of analyte-sensor interactions that can help in advancing semiconductor gas sensors, including those based on two-dimensional materials.

Selective spatial atomic layer deposition of Cu, Cu2O, and CuO thin films in the open air: reality or fiction?

Copper and binary copper oxide thin films are key materials for microelectronic, optoelectronic, and sensing devices. Herein, we report innovative atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition processes enabling the facile control over the copper oxidation state. The selective deposition of Cu, Cu2O, and CuO thin films at low temperatures (160–260 °C) has been achieved by using Cu(I)(hfac)(tmvs) as copper source and nitrogen, water, or ozone as coreactants, respectively. The three obtained materials are pure and crystalline, as revealed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The deposition mechanism of the Cu, Cu2O, and CuO phases is based on disproportionation, hydrolysis, and oxidation reactions. Interestingly, metallic copper films with resistivity as low as ∼3.7 × 10−6 Ω·cm have been obtained, and resistivity values of 100 Ω·cm and 0.2 Ω·cm have been measured for the Cu2O and CuO semiconductor layers, respectively. Although working in an open-air environment, the oxidation state of copper-based thin films can be controlled using the same precursor, thus reducing cross-contamination and allowing for a faster and more reliable process. This demonstrates the versatility of atmospheric-pressure spatial atomic layer deposition and opens prospects for the manufacturing of novel devices such as wearables, sensors, or flexible electronics.

Robust, Conformal ZnO Coatings on Fabrics via Atmospheric‐Pressure Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition with In‐Situ Thickness Control**

AbstractZinc oxide (ZnO) is a promising material for functionalization of textiles. It can add a range of functionalities, including UV protection, antimicrobial activity, flame retardancy, hydrophobicity and electrical conductivity. Commercialization of ZnO – coated textiles is still limited due to the cost and challenges related to their manufacture. Moreover, making robust coatings on textiles and measuring their thickness is also challenging. In this work, atmospheric‐pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP‐SALD) systems are utilized for the first time to coat synthetic spun‐bond polypropylene (PP) and natural cotton fabrics with ZnO. The coatings are found to be conformal and uniform, forming complete shells around the fabric fibers. The growth rate is measured to be ∼0.24 nm/cycle using an in‐situ reflectance setup and Virtual Interface (VI) model, which enable precise control of the coating thickness. The coatings are shown to provide UV‐protection and render cotton fabric hydrophobic. No damage is observed after washing, linear abrasion, adhesion, twisting and bending tests, indicating that the coatings are robust. Aerosol‐penetration tests indicate the coatings do not impact the filtering efficiency of fabrics used in N95 respirators. The results are encouraging for industrialization of the AP‐SALD technique for functional textiles.

Controlled Crystallinity of TiO2 Layers Grown by Atmospheric Pressure Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition and their Impact on Perovskite Solar Cell Efficiency

Atmospheric Pressure Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (AP-SALD) is an upcoming deposition technique suitable for a variety of materials and combines the benefits of a regular atomic layer deposition with a significantly increased deposition rate at ambient conditions. In this work, amorphous and anatase TiO2 layers are fabricated by AP-SALD via systematic variation of process conditions such as temperature, reactant (H2O and O3), and posttreatment. The formed layers are characterized for their structural and optoelectronic properties and utilized as a hole-blocking layer in hybrid perovskite solar cells. It is found that TiO2 layers fabricated at elevated deposition temperatures possess strong anatase character but expose an unfavorable interface to the perovskite layer, promoting recombination and lowering the shunt resistance and open circuit voltage of the solar cells. Therefore, the interface is essential for efficient charge extraction, which can be significantly improved by controlling the process parameters.

Chemical deposition of Cu2O films with ultra-low resistivity: correlation with the defect landscape

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) is a promising p-type semiconductor material for many applications. So far, the lowest resistivity values are obtained for films deposited by physical methods and/or at high temperatures (~1000 °C), limiting their mass integration. Here, Cu2O thin films with ultra-low resistivity values of 0.4 Ω.cm were deposited at only 260 °C by atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition, a scalable chemical approach. The carrier concentration (7.1014−2.1018 cm−3), mobility (1–86 cm2/V.s), and optical bandgap (2.2–2.48 eV) are easily tuned by adjusting the fraction of oxygen used during deposition. The properties of the films are correlated to the defect landscape, as revealed by a combination of techniques (positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence). Our results reveal the existence of large complex defects and the decrease of the overall defect concentration in the films with increasing oxygen fraction used during deposition.

ZIF-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Cantilever Gas Sensors

Among the different gas sensing platforms, cantilever-based sensors have attracted considerable interest in recent years thanks to their ultra-sensitivity and high-speed response. The gas sensing mechanism in a dynamic cantilever sensor is based on its resonance frequency shift upon adsorption of a gas molecule on the sensor. In order to sensitize the surface of a cantilever, a sensitive receptor material with large surface area is required. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of nanoporous crystalline materials composed of metal ions coordinated to organic linkers. MOFs are promising for gas sensing applications as they have large surface area, rich porosity with adjustable pore size and excellent selective adsorption capability for various gasses.[1] Zeolite imidazole frameworks (ZIFs) are a class of MOFs where metals with tetrahedral coordination (i.e. Zn, Co, Fe, Cu) are the central node and the ligands are imidazolate-based organic molecules.In this work, we developed a ZIF-based thin film for dynamic cantilever gas-sensing applications. We employed a novel atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP-SALD)[2][3] technique to deposit a ZnO sacrificial layer on the silicon cantilevers. This technique allows the deposition of high-quality films at atmospheric pressure, faster than conventional ALD. The ZnO layer was then converted to a particular ZIF film with desired porosity and size, through a MOF-CVD process.[4] A gas-sensing bench setup was developed for the cantilever actuation and read-out. We present the chemical and morphological properties of the ZIF, as well as the frequency response of the sensor to various gases. The device showed reliable sensitivity to humidity, CO2 and several VOCs.

Atmospheric pressure spatial ALD of Al2O3 thin films for flexible PEALD IGZO TFT application

Atmospheric pressure spatial atomic layer deposition (AP S-ALD)-derived Al2O3 films were investigated on the growth temperatures (100 °C ∼ 200 °C) and demonstrated as the gate insulator for IGZO thin film transistor (TFT) applications. When the growth temperature increases to 200 °C, growth per cycle (GPC) and refractive index of the Al2O3 films were 1.33 Å/cycle and 1.63, respectively. The film density also increased from 2.55 g/cm3 to 2.79 g/cm3 on the growth temperature, which decreasing the carbon impurities of the Al2O3 film (100 °C: 3.57 at%, 150 °C: 1.73 at%, 200 °C: N/A). In addition, the impurity and low growth temperature may degrade not only film surface roughness, but also electrical characteristics. As the buffer and gate insulator Al2O3 layers, the IGZO TFT were fabricated on a polyimide substrate. The IGZO TFTs with the Al2O3 layers showed excellent device performances: 52.48 cm2/V.sec of field effect mobility, −3.09 ± 0.14 of threshold voltage, and 0.14 ± 0.01 subthreshold swing. In addition, the TFT exhibited excellent bias reliability and mechanical bending stability. This highly stability will be attributed to AP S-ALD Al2O3 acting as an excellent insulator.

Silver Nanowire Networks: Ways to Enhance Their Physical Properties and Stability.

Silver nanowire (AgNW) networks have been intensively investigated in recent years. Thanks to their attractive physical properties in terms of optical transparency and electrical conductivity, as well as their mechanical performance, AgNW networks are promising transparent electrodes (TE) for several devices, such as solar cells, transparent heaters, touch screens or light-emitting devices. However, morphological instabilities, low adhesion to the substrate, surface roughness and ageing issues may limit their broader use and need to be tackled for a successful performance and long working lifetime. The aim of the present work is to highlight efficient strategies to optimize the physical properties of AgNW networks. In order to situate our work in relation to existing literature, we briefly reported recent studies which investigated physical properties of AgNW networks. First, we investigated the optimization of optical transparency and electrical conductivity by comparing two types of AgNWs with different morphologies, including PVP layer and AgNW dimensions. In addition, their response to thermal treatment was deeply investigated. Then, zinc oxide (ZnO) and tin oxide (SnO2) protective films deposited by Atmospheric Pressure Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (AP-SALD) were compared for one type of AgNW. We clearly demonstrated that coating AgNW networks with these thin oxide layers is an efficient approach to enhance the morphological stability of AgNWs when subjected to thermal stress. Finally, we discussed the main future challenges linked with AgNW networks optimization processes.