Transparent, electrically conductive oxides
Transparent, electrically conductive oxides ( English transparent conducting oxides , TCO) are special electrically conductive materials with a comparatively low absorption of electromagnetic waves in the range of visible light . They are used in the form of thin layers in optoelectronic devices such as flat screens or solar cells .
use
Layers of oxides with these properties are z. B. used for the production of transparent electrodes in liquid crystal screens , organic light-emitting diodes , touch screens and some designs of the magic eye . They are also used in switchable glazing or thin-film solar cells as well as in photovoltaics and display technology, in lighting technology, in automotive technology and in architectural glazing .
TCO layers are produced using thin-film coating processes , for example thermal evaporation or certain chemical vapor deposition processes .
species
The transparent conductive oxides include
- Indium tin oxide (Engl. Indium tin oxide , ITO)
- Fluorine tin oxide (engl. Fluorine tin oxide , FTO),
- Aluminum-zinc oxide (English aluminum doped zinc oxide AZO) and
- Antimony tin oxide ATO.
literature
- Bernd Szyszka: Reactive magnetron sputtering of transparent conductive oxide layers. 1999, doctoral thesis, Fraunhofer Institute