Available materials are AZO(ZnO:Al), FZO(ZnO:F), ITO(In2O3:Sn) and FTO(SnO2:F). the selection of deposition method when considering the costs doesn’t follow the same when selecting a deposition method from an engineering perspective.
What if we consider both aspects?
it depends upon which material u want to deposite.if material is mention then your question is answerable.
Typically sputtering processes are used to prepare ITO. This process is well established and effective process.
AZO you can be prepare by PVD and CVD processes and is tested as a material for thin film solar cells. Upt o know both processes are relevant. The advantegeous of AZO is you dont need any Indium.
sputtering and PVD are both cost effective. CVD is more costly and PLD is not commercially economical.
Your question is a bit vague. If you are discussing technology; it then highly depends on your application and therefore the choice of material may differ. ITO is the very first choice for many opto-electronic applications. AZO is popular for Si solar cells, but may suffer some instability at high temperatures.
When your question concerns the science of these materials, I must say that there is a big big literature around.
I'd appreciate your attention and helpful answers. Dear Dr. Asadi, sorry for my unclear question. I try to correct it now. let's say that if we have only AZO,
1. Which deposition method would have better results(as mentioned above)?
2. Which one would be easier and has more potential for being a commercial method (just for AZO) ?
and
3. What if we consider both, the better results and simpler preparation, simultaneously for AZO?
simply try sputtering from AZO target. further moderate annealing might improve sheet resistance.
For the consideration you must first take care about the transparency and the electrical conductivity of your TCO. if you are worry about the cost then chemical route could be a key solution try to use spray pyrolyis , sol gel technique they have succeded in TCO deposition and are low cost effective techniques
I find your question still a bit confusing.
However, you should know that for most solar cells, you may require more than just one type of TCO.
You need AZO at the back of the cell as a buffer material between the active material and the metal back contact. You generally require a more conductive transparent TCO (ITO or FTO) on the front side of the cell.
Sputtering is usually the preferred method of deposition for all these TCO particularly for thin-film based solar cells. Its a commercially viable and well established technology for large scale fabrication.
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