Preparation and characterization of sputtered aluminum and gallium co-doped ZnO films as conductive substrates in dye-sensitized solar cells

► Transparent Al and Ga co-doped ZnO thin films were successfully prepared. ► Effects of substrate temperatures on the film properties were investigated. ► Electron mobility and resistivity were improved by increasing deposition temperatures. ► GAZnO as TCOs in solar cells achieved significant conve...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2013-03, Vol.219, p.273-277
Main Authors: Onwona-Agyeman, B., Nakao, M., Kohno, T., Liyanage, D., Murakami, K., Kitaoka, T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aluminum
Americium
Applied sciences
Borosilicate glasses
Chemical engineering
Dyes
electrical resistance
Electrodes
energy conversion
Exact sciences and technology
gallium
glass
Grain boundaries
irradiation
Orientation
Photovoltaic cells
radio waves
Solar cells
solar radiation
Sputtering
Sunlight
temperature
Thin films
transmittance
X-ray diffraction
Zinc oxide
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Summary:► Transparent Al and Ga co-doped ZnO thin films were successfully prepared. ► Effects of substrate temperatures on the film properties were investigated. ► Electron mobility and resistivity were improved by increasing deposition temperatures. ► GAZnO as TCOs in solar cells achieved significant conversion efficiencies. Aluminum and gallium co-doped zinc oxide (GAZnO) films were deposited on borosilicate glass substrates by radio frequency (rf) magnetron technique. The effects of substrate temperature on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the sputtered films were investigated. X-ray diffraction measurement revealed mixed orientations for films prepared at low substrate temperatures, while films prepared at high temperatures were oriented mainly along the (002) direction. Optical transmittance data indicated that the transparency of all the films was above 80% within the visible spectrum, while the electrical resistivity and mobility were improved with increasing substrate temperatures reaching maximum values at 350°C. Finally, using GAZnO films prepared at 300°C and 350°C as transparent conductive substrates in a solar cell sensitized with a metal-free organic dye, light-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency of 3.5 and 3.7% under AM 1.5 irradiation (1000Wm−2 simulated sunlight) was recorded, respectively.
ISSN:1385-8947
1873-3212
DOI:10.1016/j.cej.2013.01.006