A highly conductive and flexible metal mesh/ultrathin ITO hybrid transparent electrode fabricated using low-temperature crystallization

The low-temperature processing of transparent electrodes on polymer substrates is an increasingly important issue in lightweight and flexible optoelectronic devices and low-temperature processing is essential since most polymer substrates cannot withstand high temperatures. We analyzed the electrica...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of alloys and compounds 2019-07, Vol.794, p.114-119
Main Authors: Jeong, Woo-Lim, Min, Jung-Hong, Kwak, Hoe-Min, Jeon, Ye-Jin, Lee, Hyo-Ju, Kim, Kyung-Pil, Lee, Je-Sung, Kang, Seok-Jin, Kim, Dong-Yu, Lee, Dong-Seon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bend radius
Crystal structure
Crystallization
Electrical properties
Electrical resistivity
Electrodes
Glass transition temperature
Indium tin oxides
Low temperature
Metal mesh
Optical properties
Optoelectronic devices
Polymers
Substrates
Temperature
Transparent electrode
Ultrathin ITO
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Summary:The low-temperature processing of transparent electrodes on polymer substrates is an increasingly important issue in lightweight and flexible optoelectronic devices and low-temperature processing is essential since most polymer substrates cannot withstand high temperatures. We analyzed the electrical and optical characteristics of indium tin oxide (ITO) films according to the various crystallization conditions and confirmed that the low-temperature crystallized ITO has a rhombohedral structure. The ultrathin ITO films were crystallized at a temperature of 250 °C, which is lower than the glass transition temperature of polyimide substrates, and a hybrid transparent electrode with a metal mesh was formed. Our hybrid transparent electrode had a high transmittance of 77.4% and a low sheet resistance of 6.3 Ω/sq. After 1000 bending cycles at a bending radius of 6 mm, the hybrid transparent electrode maintained a sheet resistance of 6.5 Ω/sq. We applied rhombohedral ITO to the device rather than the commonly used cubic ITO, and as a result, it showed excellent electrical properties and better bending-stress stability. [Display omitted] •Rhombohedral ITO thin films were grown using low-temperature crystallization.•Hybrid transparent electrodes were fabricated using ultrathin ITO and copper mesh via low-temperature crystallization.•The sheet resistance and bending stability of the flexible transparent electrodes were greatly improved.
ISSN:0925-8388
1873-4669
DOI:10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.04.249