Inducing Efficient Photoelectric Properties at AZO/Ag/AZO Nanomultilayer Films

We try to induce the efficient optoelectronic properties of Al-doped ZnO (AZO)-based AZO/Ag/AZO (AAA) nanomultilayer transparent conductive oxide (TCO) films by magnetron sputtering combined with density functional theory (DFT). Based on experimental tests, it was found that after Ag was embedded in AZO, the sheet resistance of AZO was drastically reduced from 1.97 × 105 to 6.67 Ω/sq with a loss of less than 2% of the transmittance. Furthermore, the simulation results show that an electrical field with a high work function pointing low would be formed at the interface of Ag and AZO, leading the electrons to be injected into the AZO from Ag, which improves the conductivity of the AAA. The slight decrease in transmittance is subject to the relative enhancement of interfacial reflection. The insights gained from this study may provide experimental validation and a theoretical basis for the development of AAA in the optoelectronics field.