Aerosol-assisted route to low-E transparent conductive gallium-doped zinc oxide coatings from pre-organized and halogen-free precursor

Abstract

Thermal control in low-emission windows is achieved by the application of glazings, which are simultaneously optically transparent in the visible and reflective in the near-infrared (IR). This phenomenon is characteristic of coatings with wide optical band gaps that have high enough charge carrier concentrations for the material to interact with electromagnetic radiation in the IR region. While conventional low-E coatings are composed of sandwiched structures of oxides and thin Ag films or of fluorinated SnO2 coatings, ZnO-based glazing offers an environmentally stable and economical alternative with competitive optoelectronic properties. In this work, gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) coatings with properties for low-E coatings that exceed industrial standards (Tvisible > 82%; R2500 nm > 90%; λ(plasma) = 1290 nm; ρ = 4.7 × 10−4 Ω cm; Rsh = 9.4 Ω·□−1) are deposited through a sustainable and environmentally friendly halogen-free deposition route from [Ga(acac)3] and a pre-organized zinc oxide precursor [EtZnOiPr]4 (1) via single-pot aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition. GZO films are highly (002)-textured, smooth and compact without need of epitaxial growth. The method herein describes the synthesis of coatings with opto-electronic properties commonly achievable only through high-vacuum methods, and provides an alternative to the use of pyrophoric ZnEt2 and halogenated SnO2 coatings currently used in low-emission glazing and photovoltaic technology.