The optical and electrical properties of Eu3+-Y3+ codoped ITO transparent conductive electrodes as luminescent solar concentrators

Rare earth ions (Eu(3+)) and Y(3+) ions were codoped into the tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) transparent conductive electrode to make it possess visible luminescent properties. The Eu(3+)-Y(3+) codoped transparent conductive thin films with the precise control on the desired stoichiometry of dopants were fabricated by sol-gel spin-coating technologies. We first report that the Eu(3+)-Y(3+) codoped ITO thin films show better visible luminescent properties than Eu(3+)-doped ITO thin films. The higher Y(3+) concentration can increase the 611 nm PL intensity of Eu(3+)-Y(3+) codoped ITO thin films. However, the Eu(3+) and Y(3+) codoping concentrations should be controlled within 0.1% and 0.5%, respectively, to avoid the deterioration of conductivity. We believe that the Eu(3+)-Y(3+) codoped ITO thin films can play dual roles as the luminescent solar concentrators and transparent conductive electrode to enhance the efficiency of solar cells.