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Fiber laser annealing of indium-tin-oxide nanoparticles for large area transparent conductive layers and optical film characterization

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Abstract

Indium tin oxide (ITO) coatings are widely used as transparent electrodes for optoelectronic devices. The most common preparation methods are sputtering, evaporation, and wet chemical deposition. ITO coatings can also be manufactured by solution deposition of ITO nanoparticles followed by furnace thermal annealing with the major motivation to reduce equipment investment. However, conventional furnace annealing is energy intensive, slow, and limited by the peak processing temperature. To overcome these constraints, we suggest using a laser beam for ITO nanoparticle annealing over a large area. It is shown in the present study that a low cost, high power, and high efficiency laser can yield large area functional ITO films in a process that carries substantial promise for potential industrial implementation. Furthermore, laser annealing generates higher electrical conductivity than conventional, thermally annealed nanoparticle films. The optical and electrical properties of the annealed ITO films can also be altered by adjusting laser parameters and environmental gases.

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Author notes

  1. Seung Hwan Ko

    Present address: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 373-1 Gusong-Dong, Yusong-Gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720-1740, USA

    Heng Pan, Daeho Lee, Seung Hwan Ko & Costas P. Grigoropoulos

  2. AppliFlex LLC, 1244 Reamwood Ave., Sunnyvale, CA, 94089, USA

    Hee K. Park

  3. IPG Photonics, 3930 Freedom Circle, Suite 103, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, USA

    Tony Hoult

Authors
  1. Heng Pan
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  2. Daeho Lee
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  3. Seung Hwan Ko
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  4. Costas P. Grigoropoulos
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  5. Hee K. Park
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Costas P. Grigoropoulos.

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Pan, H., Lee, D., Ko, S.H. et al. Fiber laser annealing of indium-tin-oxide nanoparticles for large area transparent conductive layers and optical film characterization. Appl. Phys. A 104, 29–38 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-011-6397-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-011-6397-x

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