Effects of sub-picosecond direct laser interference patterning on the optoelectronic properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films

Heffner, Herman; Soldera, Marcos; Schell, Frederic; Deconinck, Marielle; Vaynzof, Yana; Mulko, Lucinda; Lasagni, Andrés Fabían

doi:10.1039/d2tc04155c

Cited by 5 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Although equation ( 3) was mainly tested on metals interacting with ultra-short laser pulses, in previous studies also this approximation was applied on FTO thin films, obtaining accurate estimations 38,40,62 . Then, the logarithmic fitting curve yielded, 𝐹 th = 198  10 J cm -2 and 1  = 0.72  0.11 µm.…”

Section: Topography Evolution Upon Laser Structuringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…~ 3), it can be argued that they are produced as a consequence of three-photon absorption (3PA) process, which is a phenomenon commonly observed on TCO materials when treated with ultra-short laser pulses 40,66 .…”

Section: Topography Evolution Upon Laser Structuringmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, these works were carried out employing UV laser sources, which tend to have long-term stability issues (especially at 266 nm) and higher costs in terms of laser power (€/W) [34][35][36] . To the best of our knowledge, only a few studies were published in which costeffective and stable IR laser sources were employed to modify the optoelectronic characteristics of TCOs using the DLIP technique [37][38][39][40] . However, to date, no reports have shown ITO films structured by DLIP at that wavelength.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Optoelectronic performance of Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films structured by Sub-Picosecond Direct Laser Interference Patterning

Heffner

Soldera

Lasagni

2023

Preprint

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A route to increase the efficiency of thin film solar cells is improving the light-trapping capacity by texturing the top Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) so that the sunlight reaching the solar absorber scatters into multiple directions. In this study, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) thin films are treated by infrared sub-picosecond Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) to modify the surface topography. Surface analysis by scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy reveals the presence of periodic microchannels with a spatial period of 5 m and an average height between 15 and 450 nm decorated with Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) in the direction parallel to the microchannels. A relative increase in the average total and diffuse optical transmittances up to 10.7% and 1,900%, respectively, was obtained in the 400-1,000 nm spectral range as an outcome of the interaction of white light with the generated micro- and nanostructures. The estimation of Haacke’s figure of merit suggests that the surface modification of ITO with fluence levels near the ablation threshold might enhance the performance of solar cells that employ ITO as a front electrode.

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Section: Topography Evolution Upon Laser Structuringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Topography Evolution Upon Laser Structuringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Optoelectronic performance of Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films structured by Sub-Picosecond Direct Laser Interference Patterning

Heffner

Soldera

Lasagni

2023

Preprint

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“…Moreover, in recent previous studies, FTO thin films have been structured using DLIP, with infrared laser sources with 12 [ 14 ] and 0.9 ps pulses. [ 15 ] In the case of the 12 ps pulses, an increase of up to 700% of the diffuse transmittance was obtained as a result of the periodic micro‐ and nanostructures, but the electrical resistance deteriorated due to the removal of conductive material as well. Thus, a tradeoff between optical and electrical properties was proposed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[6][7][8][9][10] Particularly in FTO, numerous strategies were applied to achieve these goals, for instance, by changing the doping concentration of fluorine, [11] by performing a surface chemical etching, [12] by laser annealing, [13] or by laser ablation. [14,15] In the field of laser ablation, efforts have been carried out to develop different approaches to structure the surface without deteriorating the material's intrinsic properties, which could affect the optoelectronic performance of the device in which it will be employed. Saetang et al [16] structured FTO with an infrared (IR) ns-pulsed laser, generating line-like structures by means of a stream of water between the laser source and the conductive film.…”

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confidence: 99%

Surface Modification of Fluorine‐Doped Tin Oxide Thin Films Using Femtosecond Direct Laser Interference Patterning: A Study of the Optoelectronic Performance

et al. 2023

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The first transparent conductive oxide (TCO) was introduced by Karl Bädeker in 1907, more than 110 years ago. [1] It was a thin film of cadmium oxide (CdO) prepared by oxidizing a vacuum-sputtered film of cadmium metal. By the same method, the first film of tin oxide (SnO 2 ) was obtained in 1937 by Gerhard Bauer. [2] Currently, different TCOs are being employed in the optoelectronic industry such as aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), indium-doped tin oxide (ITO), and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). The latter has been extensively used as it possesses low fabrication costs compared to ITO because indium is a very scarce element on Earth, [3] high thermal resistance, and good electronic compatibility with many semiconductors. [4,5] To ensure the high performance of optoelectronic devices, two features are key for TCOs: high optical transmittance in the spectral range of interest and low electrical resistivity. Besides, a high level of diffuse spectral transmittance has been demonstrated to further enhance sunlight absorption in the photoactive material on many different solar cell technologies. [6][7][8][9][10] Particularly in FTO, numerous strategies were applied to achieve these goals, for instance, by changing the doping concentration of fluorine, [11] by performing a surface chemical etching, [12] by laser annealing, [13] or by laser ablation. [14,15] In the field of laser ablation, efforts have been carried out to develop different approaches to structure the surface without deteriorating the material's intrinsic properties, which could affect the optoelectronic performance of the device in which it will be employed. Saetang et al. [16] structured FTO with an infrared (IR) ns-pulsed laser, generating line-like structures by means of a stream of water between the laser source and the conductive film. The results showed a reduction of the burr height index of 62.5% (relative) which is a critical parameter to reduce the intermittency between different thin layers in solar cells. Moreover, Kim et al. [17] textured FTO for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) by using a continuous wave Nd:YAG infrared laser and obtained an 8.1% increase in the incident-photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) compared to the solar cell based on unstructured FTO.Regarding laser techniques, direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) has become an industrial-compatible technique able to produce large-area periodic surface micro-and nanostructures on a broad range of materials. [18,19] Berger et al. [20] used DLIP to structure ZnO:B thin films with an UV ns-laser and achieved a

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Direct Laser Interference Patterning of Fluorine‐Doped Tin Oxide as a Pathway to Higher Efficiency in Perovskite Solar Cells

Heffner,

Du,

Shilovskikh

et al. 2024

Adv Funct Materials

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Improving light‐trapping capabilities through surface microstructuring of transparent conductive oxides is a promising approach to enhance solar cell efficiency. This study focuses on treating fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films using four‐beam direct laser interference patterning (DLIP) to create dot‐like periodic surface microstructures. The surface analysis using scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy reveals the presence of a periodic square grid of microcraters with a spatial period of ≈700 nm and an average depth ranging between 4 and 18 nm. These structures enhance the dispersion of incoming light up to 1000% in the visible and NIR spectra. When integrated into metal halide perovskite solar cells, FTO films patterned using low fluence conditions lead to a notable increase in the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) compared to those made using untreated FTO. Importantly, preliminary stability tests on devices based on patterned FTO substrates show significantly improved stability compared to those fabricated using reference unpatterned substrates. These findings demonstrate that a DLIP treatment of FTO substrates is a promising technique that can substantially enhance the efficiency and stability of perovskite photovoltaic devices.

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Effects of sub-picosecond direct laser interference patterning on the optoelectronic properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films

Abstract: Micropatterning of metal oxides is of high interest for structuring electrodes in optoelectronic devices. In this work, the impact of infrared (IR) sub-picosecond Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) on the...

Cited by 5 publications

References 71 publications

Optoelectronic performance of Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films structured by Sub-Picosecond Direct Laser Interference Patterning

Optoelectronic performance of Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films structured by Sub-Picosecond Direct Laser Interference Patterning

Surface Modification of Fluorine‐Doped Tin Oxide Thin Films Using Femtosecond Direct Laser Interference Patterning: A Study of the Optoelectronic Performance

Direct Laser Interference Patterning of Fluorine‐Doped Tin Oxide as a Pathway to Higher Efficiency in Perovskite Solar Cells

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