Effect of Ag film thickness on the optical and the electrical properties in CuAlO(2)/Ag/CuAlO(2) multilayer films grown on glass substrates

Abstract

Effects of Ag film thickness on the optical and the electrical properties in CuAlO2/Ag/CuAlO2 multilayer films grown on glass substrates were investigated. Atomic force microscopy images showed that Ag films with a thickness of a few nanometers had island structures. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the phase of the CuAlO2 layer was amorphous. The resistivity of the 40nm-CuAlO2/18nm-Ag/40nm-CuAlO2 multilayer films was 2.8×10?5Ωcm, and the transmittance of the multilayer films with an Ag film thickness of 8nm was approximately 89.16%. These results indicate that CuAlO2/Ag/CuAlO2 multilayer films grown on glass substrates hold promise for potential applications as transparent conducting electrodes in high-efficiency solar cells.