Development of nanostructured silver layers via colloidal lithography for AZO/Ag/AZO transparent conductive oxide applications

Colloidal lithography is a cost-effective and scalable technique for producing nanostructures with defined shapes and sizes. In this study, colloidal lithography was utilized to fabricate nanostructured silver layers for a three-layer transparent conductive oxide AZO/Ag/AZO. The silver nanostructures were deposited onto an aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) substrate via RF sputtering at room temperature and served as the conductive layer in the AZO/Ag/AZO stack. The resulting nanostructured silver layer exhibited a peak of 93% transmittance in the 300–400 nm range and a steady value of 61% in the 400–1000 nm range. The sheet resistance value was 9.3 Ω/sq for the 15 nm Ag film after polystyrene nanospheres (PS) were chemically removed; it showed improved electrical conductivity and transparency compared to traditional AZO layers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed a disordered, random distribution of the PS in the films. The incorporation of the optimized nanostructured silver layer in this structure resulted in highly competent transparent conductive oxide (TCO), whose performance was evaluated using a figure of merit. This work demonstrates the potential of colloidal lithography for the fabrication of nanostructured silver layers in transparent conductive oxides, opening new alternatives for the development of low-cost and highly efficient transparent conductors.