Graphene-Based Contacts for Optoelectronic Devices

Hybrid transparent contacts based on combinations of a transparent conductive oxide and a few graphene monolayers were developed in order to evaluate their optical and electrical performance with the main aim to use them as front contacts in optoelectronic devices. The assessment of the most suitable strategies for their fabrication was performed by testing different protocols addressing such issues as the protection of the device structure underneath, the limitation of sample temperature during the graphene-monolayer transfer process and the determination of the most suitable stacking structure. Suitable metal ohmic electrodes were also evaluated. Among a number of options tested, the metal contact based on Ti + Ag showed the highest reproducibility and the lowest contact resistivity. Finally, with the objective of extracting the current generated from optoelectronic devices to the output pins of an external package, focusing on a near future commercial application, the electrical properties of the connections made with an ultrasonic bonding machine (sonic welding) between the optimized Ti + Ag metal contacts and Al or Au micro-wires were also evaluated. All these results have an enormous potential as hybrid electrodes based on graphene to be used in novel designs of a future generation of optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells.