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Hydrogen-driven dramatically improved mechanical properties of amorphized ITO-Ag-ITO thin films
Sungmin Park1, Janghee Yoon2, Seohan Kim3,4
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pusan National University Busan 46241 Korea.
RSC Advances
|April 15, 2022
Summary
Introducing hydrogen into oxide/metal/oxide structures creates a stabilized amorphous oxide, enhancing mechanical stability without compromising optical or electrical properties for advanced materials.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Solid-State Physics
Background:
- Oxide/metal/oxide (OMO) multi-structures are investigated as alternatives to Indium-Tin Oxide (ITO).
- Polycrystalline structures in OMOs, particularly the top oxide layer, lead to mechanical property degradation.
- Improving the mechanical stability of OMOs is crucial for their practical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the mechanical stability of Indium-Tin Oxide/Silver/Indium-Tin Oxide (ITO/Ag/ITO or IAI) structures.
- To investigate the effect of hydrogen incorporation on the structural and property evolution of IAI films.
- To explore the potential of hydrogen as a tool for stabilizing amorphous oxide structures in OMO multilayers.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of ITO/Ag/ITO (IAI) multilayer structures.
- Controlled introduction of hydrogen into the oxide layers during deposition.
- Characterization of structural properties, including amorphous and polycrystalline phase formation.
- Evaluation of optical transmittance and electrical conductivity.
- Assessment of mechanical stability using dynamic bending tests.
Main Results:
- Hydrogen incorporation successfully stabilized an amorphous oxide structure in the IAI films, even when deposited on a polycrystalline metal layer.
- Optimized hydrogen levels improved mechanical stability significantly, evidenced by reduced microcrack formation after dynamic bending.
- No significant deterioration in optical transmittance or electrical conductivity was observed with the appropriate hydrogen introduction.
- Reduced subgap level defects and lower residual stress were correlated with improved mechanical performance.
Conclusions:
- Controlled hydrogen introduction is an effective strategy to achieve stabilized amorphous oxide structures in OMO multilayers.
- This method enhances mechanical stability without sacrificing essential optical and electrical properties.
- The findings are applicable not only to IAI structures but also to a broader range of OMO materials with inherent polycrystalline structures.
