Specific Process Knowledge/Thin film deposition/Deposition of AZO: Difference between revisions
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=AZO deposition= | =AZO deposition= | ||
Aluminum‑doped zinc oxide (AZO) is a degenerate n‑type transparent conducting oxide that pairs high visible transparency with tunable electrical conductivity, offering an abundant, low‑cost, and non‑toxic alternative to ITO. | |||
It can be deposited by sputtering for scalable, large-area films and by atomic layer deposition (ALD) for conformal, ultra-uniform coatings at relatively low temperatures, which suits complex or temperature-sensitive substrates. | |||
AZO serves widely as a transparent electrode in photovoltaics, LEDs, displays, and touch panels, where it enables efficient light coupling while providing adequate sheet resistance. | |||
In optics and photonics, its carrier-driven refractive-index control and epsilon-near-zero behavior in the near-IR support plasmonics, compact modulators, waveguides, and tunable anti-reflective coatings. | |||
Beyond semiconductors and optics, AZO films are utilized in UV and gas sensors, SAW/acoustoelectronic devices, transparent heaters, low-emissivity and EMI-shielding coatings, and energy-saving window stacks. | |||
The material offers good thermal and mechanical robustness; when even lower resistance is needed, AZO is often paired with ultrathin metals in hybrid multilayers while retaining high transparency. | |||
AZO can be deposited by RF, reactive RF, reactive DC, or reactive p-DC sputtering or atomic layer deposition (ALD). In the sputter deposition of AZO, an AZO target is used that may be RF-sputtered with or without adding additional oxygen, or reactively DC- or p-DC-sputtered. Elevated temperatures of 200 °C are typically employed. You can also co-deposit Al and ZnO, although it is usually not the most recommended approach. Note that in multipurpose sputter systems, such as ours, it may be challenging to achieve sufficiently low contamination for high-quality AZO. Contact Nanolab staff or your colleagues if you would like to locate a sputter system dedicated to AZO deposition. | AZO can be deposited by RF, reactive RF, reactive DC, or reactive p-DC sputtering or atomic layer deposition (ALD). In the sputter deposition of AZO, an AZO target is used that may be RF-sputtered with or without adding additional oxygen, or reactively DC- or p-DC-sputtered. Elevated temperatures of 200 °C are typically employed. You can also co-deposit Al and ZnO, although it is usually not the most recommended approach. Note that in multipurpose sputter systems, such as ours, it may be challenging to achieve sufficiently low contamination for high-quality AZO. Contact Nanolab staff or your colleagues if you would like to locate a sputter system dedicated to AZO deposition. | ||
Atomic Layer deposition is a well-known method, where high uniformity coverage (aspect ratio over 100) can be achieved. | Atomic Layer deposition is a well-known method, where high uniformity coverage (aspect ratio over 100) can be achieved. | ||
*[[Specific Process Knowledge/Thin film deposition/ALD Picosun R200/AZO deposition using ALD|AZO]] | |||
In the chart below, you can compare the different deposition equipment available here at Nanolab: | In the chart below, you can compare the different deposition equipment available here at Nanolab: | ||
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