Al-doped ZnO/Ag grid hybrid transparent conductive electrodes fabricated using a low-temperature process

Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/Ag grid hybrid transparent conductive electrode (TCE) structures were fabricated at a low temperature by using electrohydrodynamic jet printing for the Ag grids and atomic layer deposition for the AZO layers. The structural investigations showed that the AZO/Ag grid hybrid structures consisted of Ag grid lines formed by Ag particles and the AZO layer covering the inter-spacing between the Ag grid lines. The Ag particles comprising the Ag grid lines were also capped by thin AZO layers, and the coverage of the AZO layers was increased with increasing the thickness of the AZO layer. Using the optimum thickness of AZO layer of 70 nm, the hybrid TCE structure showed an electrical resistivity of 5.45 × 10^-5 Ω cm, an optical transmittance of 80.80%, and a figure of merit value of 1.41 × 10 ^-2 Ω^-1. The performance enhancement was suggested based on the microstructural investigations on the AZO/Ag grid hybrid structures.