Electrical and optical properties of F-doped SnO₂ thin film/Ag nanowire double layers

Fluorine-doped SnO₂ (FTO) thin film/Ag nanowire (NW) double layers were fabricated by means of spin coating and ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. To investigate the optimum thickness of the FTO thin films when used as protection layer for Ag NWs, the deposition time of the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis process was varied at 0, 1, 3, 5, or 10 min. The structural, chemical, morphological, electrical, and optical properties of the double layers were examined using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, the Hall effect measurement system, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Although pure Ag NWs formed isolated droplet-shaped Ag particles at an annealing temperature of 300 °C, Ag NWs covered by FTO thin films maintained their high-aspect-ratio morphology. As the deposition time of the FTO thin films increased, the electrical and optical properties of the double layers degraded gradually. Therefore, the double layer fabricated with FTO thin films deposited for 1 min exhibited superb sheet resistance (~14.9Ω/), high optical transmittance (~88.6 %), the best FOM (~19.9 × 10^-3 Ω^-1), and excellent thermal stability at an annealing temperature of 300 °C owing to the good morphology maintenance of the Ag NWs covered by FTO thin films.