Photo-engineered optoelectronic properties of indium tin oxide via reactive laser annealing

Abstract

Transparent conductive oxides are appealing materials for optoelectronic and plasmonic applications as, amongst other advantages, their properties can be modulated by engineering their defects. Optimisation of this adjustment is, however, a complex design problem. This work examined the modification of the carrier transport properties of sputtered tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) via laser annealing in reactive environments. We relate the optical modifications to the structural, compositional, and electronic properties to elucidate the precise mechanisms behind the reactive laser annealing (ReLA) process. For sufficiently high laser fluence, we reveal an ambient-dependent and purely compositional modulation of the carrier concentration of ITO thin films. Hereby, we demonstrate that ReLA utilises the precise energy delivery of photonic processing to enhance the carrier mobility and finely tune the carrier concentration without significantly affecting the crystal structure. Exploitation of this phenomena may enable one to selectively engineer the optoelectronic properties of ITO, promising an alternative to the exploration of new materials for optoelectronic and photonic applications.

Monitoring the Electrochemical Failure of Indium Tin Oxide Electrodes via Operando Ellipsometry Complemented by Electron Microscopy and Spectroscopy

“…This is clearly identified by EDXS of a TEM lamella, as discussed in Subsection . In general, the resulting resistivity of ITO layers is a complex interplay of processing parameters and chemical element ratios (especially oxygen vacancies), − and its reasoning is beyond the scope of the present manuscript. The layer thickness d and resistivity ρ ( E ) derived from ellipsometry, together with the resistance measured by 4-wire sensing, are summarized in Table .…”

Contributions of Light to Novel Logic Concepts Using Optoelectronic Materials

“…[7][8][9][10][11] Rather than the existing approach of electronic circuit operation that transmits voltage or current signal, light allows a deviation from conventional CMOS logic. [12][13][14][15][16] CMOS operation can be implemented by the interaction with light, and new logic other than the existing Boolean logic can be presented using emerging non-silicon materials, such as 2D materials, [17][18][19][20] metal-oxides, [21][22][23][24] carbon structures, [25,26] polymers, [27] small molecules, [28,29] and perovskites. [30][31][32][33] These materials possess mechanical flexibility, high optical transparency, an easy-tofabricate process, and adjustable electrical properties, enabling sensitive photoresponse, light modulation, and potential applications in novel logic circuits.…”

Compact and efficient lossy mode resonant refractive index sensor for aqueous environment

“…Transparent conducting oxide thin films and particularly indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films find their applications in integrated touch sensors for flexible OLED displays, photovoltaic cells, LCDs, optical fiber sensor, gas sensing, analysis of ionized media and opto-electrochemical label free biosensors [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. ITO films are transparent, conducting and chemically stable and can be used for integrated-optic sensing applications.…”