Essential macleod program (EMP) was used to optimize the transmittance of the transparent conducting layers in an oxidemetal- oxide structure. For EMP simulation, the optical coefficient of the material was extracted using an ellipsometer. Following the simulation studies, oxide-metal-oxide samples were fabricated experimentally, and their optical and electrical properties were analyzed. Multilayer SiInZnO/Ag/Siinzno (S/A/S) structures were grown on glass substrates using radio frequency (RF) and direct current (DC) sputtering at room temperature. Due to the occurrence of destructive interference at the metal and oxide interface, the S/A/S structure exhibited excellent optical properties. As the thickness of the top and bottom oxide layers was increased, the transmittance spectrum was red-shifted due to partial wave interference at the Ag interface. Change in thickness of the top oxide layer had a greater effect on the transmittance than that of the bottom oxide layer. This was due to the difference in refractive index occurring at each interface. Change in Ag thickness shifted the absorption edge in the short wavelength region. Whereas electrical properties, such as sheet resistance and carrier concentration, were found to be dependent on thickness of the sandwiched metal layer. An excellent figure of merit of 63.20 ×10−3Ω−1 was obtained when the thickness of the Ag layer was 11 nm, and the top and bottom oxide layer thickness were 45 and 60 nm, respectively. These values suggest promising optoelectronic properties and are encouraging for future transparent electrode applications.

Generally, Au electrodes are the preferred top metal electrodes in most perovskite solar cells (PSCs) because of their appropriate work function for hole transportation and their resistance to metal-halide formation. However, for the commercialization of PSCs, the development of alternative metal electrodes for Au is essential to decrease their fabrication cost. Ag electrodes are considered one of the most suitable alternatives for Au electrodes because they are relatively cheaper and can provide the necessary stability for oxidation. However, Ag electrodes require an aging-induced recovery process and react with halides from perovskite layers. Herein, we propose a bilayer Au/Ag electrode to overcome the limitations of single Au and Ag metal electrodes. The performance of PSCs based on bilayer electrodes is comparable to that of PSCs with Au electrodes. Furthermore, by using the bilayer electrode, we can eliminate the aging process, normally an essential process for Ag electrodes. This study not only demonstrates an effective method to substitute for expensive Au electrodes but also provides a possibility to overcome the limitations of Ag electrodes.

Recent advances in technology using ultra-thin noble metal film in oxide/metal/oxide structures have attracted attention because this material is a promising alternative to meet the needs of transparent conduction electrodes (TCE). AZO/ Ag/AZO multilayer films are prepared by magnetron sputtering for Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) of kesterite solar cells. It is shown that the electrical and optical properties of the AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films can be improved by the very low resistivity and surface plasmon effects due to the deposition of different thicknesses of Ag layer between oxide layers fixed at AZO 30 nm. The AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films of Ag 15 nm show high mobility of 26.4 cm2/Vs and low resistivity and sheet resistance of 3.58*10−5 Ωcm and 5.0 Ω/sq. Also, the AZO/Ag (15 nm)/AZO multilayer film shows relatively high transmittance of more than 65% in the visible region. Through this, we fabricated CZTSSe thin film solar cells with 7.51% efficiency by improving the short-circuit current density and fill factor to 27.7 mV/cm2 and 62 %, respectively.

We report on stretchable electrochromic films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) fabricated on silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes. AgNWs electrodes are prepared on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates using a spray coater for stretchable electrochromic applications. On top of the AgNW electrode, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is introduced to ensure a stable resistance over the electrode under broad strain range by effectively suppressing the protrusion of AgNWs from PDMS. This bilayer electrode exhibits a high performance as a stretchable substrate in terms of sheet resistance increment by a factor of 1.6, tensile strain change to 40%, and stretching cycles to 100 cycles. Furthermore, P3HT film spin-coated on the bilayer electrode shows a stable electrochromic coloration within an applied voltage, with a color contrast of 28.6%, response time of 4-5 sec, and a coloration efficiency of 91.0 cm2/C. These findings indicate that AgNWs/PEDOT:PSS bilayer on PDMS substrate electrode is highly suitable for transparent and stretchable electrochromic devices.

This study investigates Bi2O3-B2O3-BaO-ZnO glass with variations of the Co3O4 content (0.25,0.5,1,and 2wt%) and the interaction between transparent dielectric and Ag electrodes heat-treated at 500-560oC for30min. The glass transition temperature, softening temperature and thermal expansion coefficient were432oC, 460oC and 81.4×10-7/oC, respectively. The transmittance of 0.25wt% Co3O4 to which dielectric wasadded was highest and was decreased due to coloration with the addition of more than 0.25wt%. However,without Co3O4, the transmittance of the transparent layer was decreased due to the formation of Ba5Bi3;however, the occurrence of the crystal phase decreased as a result of the addition of Co3O4. The amount ofCo2+ ions increased as the Co3O4 increased. With a maximum of Co3+ ions, the highest transmittance wasobserved.

기존 산화물 투명전극에 비해 더욱 우수한 전기전도성을 가지는 다층구조의 투명전도막을 마그네트론 스퍼터링 장치를 이용해 제작하였다. 전기전도성을 극대화하기 위해 비저항이 가장 낮은 Ag 금속을 사용하고, 금속층의 상하부에 반사광을 재반사시키는 산화물층을 형성시킨 다층막구조를 이용하였다. Ag 금속막은 충분한 투과율과 전기전도성을 확보하기 위해 연속된 막을 이루기 시작하는 두께인 140Å로 증착하였고, ITO 박막은 가시광 영역의 반사광을 재반사시키는 최적의 두께인 600Å 내외로 증차하였다. Ag 박막의 증착조건과 후속 ITO 박막증착공정은 Ag박막의 특성에 영향을 미치므로 다층막의 전기적, 광학적 특성은 이들 증착 조건에 민감한 영향을 받음을 확인하였다. 상온에서 Ag박막을 형성하고 ITO박막은 7mTorr의 낮은 압력에서 증착하여 제작한 투명전도막은 SVGA 급의 STN-LCD용 투명전극으로 사용 가능한 4Ω/ㅁ 이하의 낮은 면저항과 빛의 파장이 550nm일 때 85%이상의 투과도를 나타내었다.