Tuning the Transparency Window of SrVO₃ Transparent Conducting Oxide

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Physics
• Condensed Matter Physics

Background:

• Correlated transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) combine transparency and metallic conductivity.
• Strontium vanadate (SrVO₃, SVO) is a promising TCO for visible light applications.
• Band structure engineering via doping is underexplored for enhancing SVO optical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer the band structure of SrVO₃ using chemical doping to improve optical properties.
• To tune the screened plasma frequency (ω_p*) and interband transition energy (E_g) for TCO applications.
• To investigate the effects of doping on transparency, conductivity, and charge carrier density.

Main Methods:

• Exploited band-filling and bandwidth strategies using chemical doping.
• Investigated Titanium (Ti) doping for band-filling effects.
• Studied Calcium (Ca) doping for bandwidth modification and electronic correlation effects.

Main Results:

• Titanium doping widened the transparency window but compromised electrical conductivity.
• Calcium doping maintained the screened plasma frequency in the IR (1.12 eV) and blue-shifted the interband transition energy to 3.43 eV.
• The transparency window of SrVO₃ was enlarged by 11% (1.94 eV to 2.30 eV) with Calcium doping.
• High electrical conductivity (2.30 × 10⁴ S·cm^-1) and charge carrier density (2.93 × 10²² cm^-3) were retained.

Conclusions:

• Chemical doping is an effective strategy for optimizing SrVO₃ TCOs.
• Calcium doping successfully enhances the optical transparency window of SrVO₃ while preserving excellent electrical properties.
• Optimized SrVO₃ TCOs show potential for advanced optoelectronic devices.