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.