Texturization of ZnO:Al surface by reactive ion etching in SF6/Ar, CHF3/Ar plasma for application in thin film silicon solar cells

Das, Gourab; Bose, Sukanta; Sharma, Jayasree Roy; Sumita, Masao

doi:10.1007/s10854-018-8596-0

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…1(c), the etching rate initially increased and then decreased as the RF power increased. An increase in RF power increases the density of reactive radicals and ions in the plasma, thereby increasing the etching rate [29]. The decrease in etching rate can be attributed to the excessive RF power, which reduces the sheath voltage on the lower electrode, weakens the physical sputtering energy, and results in the accumulation of etching by-products on the surface.…”

Section: Etching Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Etching characteristics and surface properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films under CF4-based plasma treatment

Lee

Joo

et al. 2022

Appl. Phys. A

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Owing to their low-cost, high-temperature processability, and excellent optoelectronic properties, fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) films are widely used as transparent conductive materials to replace indium-tin-oxide films. Dry etching is increasingly preferred for the patterning of FTO films considering the high-resolution patterning process required for microdevice applications. This study investigates the dry etching of FTO thin films using CF4-based plasma treatment and analyzes the changes in the etching characteristics and surface properties based on various conditions. The highest etching rate was observed under pure CF4 conditions, indicating that the chemical etching effect is the primary mechanism during the etching process. Based on the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical emission spectroscopy results, we determined that the etching of the FTO thin film was caused by the CFX radical in the CF4based plasma. Additionally, the X-ray diffraction results indicate that the plasma etching increased the crystal defects in the FTO film. The etching process smoothened the surface morphology of the FTO film, and the transmittance and bandgap energy were slightly changed as a function of the etching conditions. Additionally, the resistivity of the FTO film improved slightly. The obtained results can benefit the development of high-performance optical devices that use FTO as transparent electrodes.

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Section: Etching Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Etching characteristics and surface properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films under CF4-based plasma treatment

Lee

Joo

et al. 2022

Appl. Phys. A

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“…Therefore, the development and optimization of dry etching processes for AZO thin films are important challenges that must be overcome to enable accurate patterning and achieve stable device parameters. Dry etching of AZO has been studied by several groups [17,18]. The etching properties and mechanism of etching AZO thin films in Cl-based plasma have been studied, demonstrating that Cl radicals play a dominant role in the etching process [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the Cl-based plasma (such as Cl 2 or BCl 3 ) etching process, etching generally involves Zn-Cl bonds or compounds containing B [17,20]. In contrast, the etching properties and etching mechanism of AZO thin films using F-based plasma have received little attention [18,21]. Most studies focused on improving the device performance rather than the etching mechanism of AZO thin films.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surface properties of Al-doped ZnO thin film before and after CF₄/Ar plasma etching

Joo

Kim

et al. 2022

Plasma Sci. Technol.

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Al-doped ZnO (AZO) is considered an alternative to transparent conductive oxide materials (TCO). Patterning and achieving a stable surface are important challenges in the development and optimization of dry etching processes, which must be overcome for the application of AZO in various devices. Therefore, in this study, the etch rate and surface properties of an AZO thin film after plasma etching using the adaptive coupled plasma (ACP) system were investigated. The fastest etch rate was achieved with a CF4/Ar ratio of 50:50 sccm. Regardless of the ratio of CF4 to Ar, the transmittance of the film in the visible region exceeded 80%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the AZO thin film confirmed that metal-F bonding persists on the surface after plasma etching. It was also shown that F eliminates O vacancies. For this reason, the work function and bandgap energy increased as the ratio of CF4 increased. This study not only provides information on the effect of plasma on the AZO thin film, but also identifies the cause of changes in the device characteristics during device fabrication.

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“…Plasma surface treatment of ZnO has been reported to improve optical properties, alter electrical behavior, and enhance sensing properties . Additionally, reactive ion or dry etching plasma processes of ZnO have been used in the fabrication of devices − as well as modification of surface morphology. , …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fabrication of ZnO Nanobrushes by H₂–C₂H₂ Plasma Etching for H₂ Sensing Applications

Kohlmann

Hansen

Lupan

et al. 2021

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Zinc oxide has widespread use in diverse applications due to its distinct properties. Many of these applications benefit from controlling the morphology on the nanoscale, where for example gas sensing is strongly enhanced for high surface-to-volume ratios. In this work the formation of novel ZnO nanobrushes by plasma etching treatment as a new approach is presented. The morphology and structure of the ZnO nanobrushes are studied in detail by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. It is revealed that ZnO nanobrush structures are fabricated by self-patterned preferential etching of ZnO microtetrapods in a hydrogen–acetylene plasma. The etching process was found to be most effective at 1% C2H2 admixture. Nanowire arrays are formed enabled by sidewall passivation due to a-C:H deposition. The nanobrush structures are further stabilized by simultaneous deposition of a SiO x layer from the opposite direction. Highly sensitive (gas response S = 148), selective, and fast (response time 15 s, recovery time 6 s) hydrogen sensors are fabricated from single nanobrushes. Single nanobrush sensors show enhanced sensing performance in increased gas response S of at least 10 times and improved response as well as recovery times when compared to nonporous single ZnO nanorod sensors due to the small diameters (≈50 nm) of the formed nanowires as well as the strongly enhanced surface-to-volume ratio of the nanobrushes by a factor of more than 10.

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Texturization of ZnO:Al surface by reactive ion etching in SF6/Ar, CHF3/Ar plasma for application in thin film silicon solar cells

Cited by 10 publications

References 40 publications

Etching characteristics and surface properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films under CF4-based plasma treatment

Etching characteristics and surface properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films under CF4-based plasma treatment

Surface properties of Al-doped ZnO thin film before and after CF₄/Ar plasma etching

Fabrication of ZnO Nanobrushes by H₂–C₂H₂ Plasma Etching for H₂ Sensing Applications

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Texturization of ZnO:Al surface by reactive ion etching in SF6/Ar, CHF3/Ar plasma for application in thin film silicon solar cells

Cited by 10 publications

References 40 publications

Etching characteristics and surface properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films under CF4-based plasma treatment

Etching characteristics and surface properties of fluorine-doped tin oxide thin films under CF4-based plasma treatment

Surface properties of Al-doped ZnO thin film before and after CF4/Ar plasma etching

Fabrication of ZnO Nanobrushes by H2–C2H2 Plasma Etching for H2 Sensing Applications

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Surface properties of Al-doped ZnO thin film before and after CF₄/Ar plasma etching

Fabrication of ZnO Nanobrushes by H₂–C₂H₂ Plasma Etching for H₂ Sensing Applications