Optical and electrical properties of AZO/Ni/ITO transparent conductor

Optical and electrical properties of transparent-conductive-oxide (TCO) films were investigated by bi-layers of aluminum-doped-zinc-oxide/indium-tin-oxide (AZO/ITO) and tri-layers (AZO/Ni/ITO). Ni-insertion is efficient to improve the carrier mobility with reduction of sheet resistance. According to tuning TCO thickness, AZO/Ni/ITO (50/5/50 nm) case exhibited the highest carrier mobility (56.90 cm2 V−1 s−1) rather than other tri-layers or bi-layers. The optical and electrical properties of TCO layers were analyzed by figure of merit. A maximum value (3.12×10−6 Ω−1) was found from AZO/Ni/ITO (50/5/50 nm). These results support the use of Ni insertion in transparent metal oxide electrode for photoelectric applications.