Leading nano-Ag particles on the textured seed layer to enhance the optoelectronic properties of Al–doped ZnO layers

• The textured surface of the AZO is treated as a seed layer.
• Improvement of the transmittance on the AZO thin film.
• The electrostatic interactions on the tapered structures.
• Promoting the application of AZO thin film on transparent conductive oxide.

In this study, the textured surface of the AZO is treated as a seed layer, which leads to the uniform deposition of nano-Ag particles on the surface. Finally, the AZO(20 nm)/nano-Ag/AZO(20 nm) ultra-thin film is grown as a transparent conductive thin film. The results show that the AZO seed layer is annealed after 500 °C and then the surface is etched using 0.1% Nitric Acid (HNO3) for 150 s, which produces a more uniform distribution of pure Ag nano particles on the textured surface of the AZO seed layer. The resistance of the thin film has a low as 4.21 × 10−5 Ω-cm and the average transmittance in the visible range is increased to 88.7%. The best figure of merit for the thin film is 2.84 × 10−2 Ω−1, which means that AZO is suitable for use in a transparent conductive thin film.