Low Resistivity Yttrium-Doped Zinc Oxide by Electrochemical Deposition

Low resistivity zinc oxide films are electrochemically deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates from an aqueous solution with an abundant and low cost dopant, yttrium. After postdeposition annealing in nitrogen at 300 degrees C, the resistivity of Y-doped ZnO is reduced to as low as 6.3 x 10(-5) Omega cm. X-ray diffraction reveals no intermixing of ZnO with ITO, suggesting little effect from the ITO film under ZnO. UV/visible spectroscopy indicates high transmittance (80%) and low absorbance (5-10%) for Y-doped ZnO. These results demonstrate that solution-prepared ZnO excels in cost and performance over vacuum-prepared ZnO as a transparent conducting oxide for large-scale devices such as solar cells and flat-panel displays. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3377092] All rights reserved.