(65s) Improving the Electrical Properties of Doped ZnO Nanowires Via Post-Synthesis Processing for Solar Applications

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a wide band-gap material that can potentially replace indium tin oxide (ITO) as a cheaper alternative for transparent conducting electrodes. A study is undertaken to reduce the sheet resistance of low-temperature, solution-grown Ga-doped ZnO (Ga:ZnO). 1% Ga:ZnO nanowires were synthesized via a decomposition of metal salts in trioctylamine at 300°C. Post-deposition annealing in nitrogen reduced the sheet resistance by several orders of magnitude. Other methods such as the fabrication of Ga:ZnO-Ag composites and Ga:ZnO/PEDOT:PSS bilayers were investigated. The composites had a sheet resistance on the same order as unannealed Ga:ZnO, whereas Ga:ZnO/PEDOT:PSS bilayers had a comparable resistivity to the best annealed Ga:ZnO film.