Patent · US Active

Method for fabricating a thin film formed with a uniform single-size monolayer of spherical AZO nanoparticles

US8497199B1 · kind B1 · utility

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Key dates

Filing dateAug 8, 2012
Grant dateJul 30, 2013
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 8, 2032

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01L21/02628
  • WIPO fieldSemiconductors
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a thin film formed with a uniform single-size monolayer of spherical AZO nanoparticles. Because of its own advantages in cost and transparency, Al-doped ZnO (AZO) transparent conductive film is becoming the most commonly used transparent conducting oxide (TCO) replacement for solar cells. In this invention, a colloidal chemical means is adopted for enabling a chemical reaction between metal salts, water, and polyhydric alcohols at a room-temperature environment, and thereby, a process for fabricating spherical AZO nanoparticles in a diameter ranged between 100 nm to 400 nm according to different parameter configurations can be achieved while controlling the actual Al/Zn ratio to be ranged between 0.1% to 3%. In addition, a dip coating means is adopted for densely distributing the spherical AZO nanoparticles on a substrate into a monolayer close-packed structure.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.