Effect of Ag film thickness on the optical and the electrical properties in CuAlO2/Ag/CuAlO2 multilayer films grown on glass substrates

Abstract

Effects of Ag film thickness on the optical and the electrical properties in CuAlO2/Ag/CuAlO2 multilayer films grown on glass substrates were investigated. Atomic force microscopy images showed that Ag films with a thickness of a few nanometers had island structures. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the phase of the CuAlO2 layer was amorphous. The resistivity of the 40 nm-CuAlO2/18 nm-Ag/40 nm-CuAlO2 multilayer films was 2.8 x 10(-5) Omega cm, and the transmittance of the multilayer films with an Ag film thickness of 8 nm was approximately 89.16%. These results indicate that CuAlO2/Ag/CuAlO2 multilayer films grown on glass substrates hold promise for potential applications as transparent conducting electrodes in high-efficiency solar cells. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.