SBIR Phase II: Spray Deposited Transparent Conducting Zinc Oxide Films

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目旨在开发一种具有成本效益的非真空技术来沉积p型透明导电氧化物（TCO）薄膜。缺乏有效的p型tco一直是困扰电光工业的一个长期问题。n型吸收体是推进光伏技术发展的重要组成部分。一期项目开发了尖端的喷雾热解技术来沉积宽间隙p-氧化锌（p-ZnO）薄膜。该项目取得了重要的突破，无论是在新的沉积系统方面，还是在廉价的喷雾热解制备p-ZnO薄膜方面。ZnO薄膜的结构和电光数据验证了新沉积方法的可行性，并为项目的成功提供了令人信服的衡量标准。二期项目将推进沉积系统，提高对掺杂问题的科学理解，推导工艺性能相关性以优化电光性能，并将技术集成到现有技术中。由于对清洁能源和微电子革命的需求，新的光电子产品的更广泛的影响/商业潜力呈指数级增长。与目前的真空方法相比，沉积方法具有成本和可制造性优势；它是非常通用的沉积许多其他技术半导体，适用于喷涂沉积。p-ZnO薄膜可用于短波长的发光二极管、激光二极管、节能窗户、平板显示器、气体传感器和其他光电应用。它可以将光伏技术扩展到n型吸收器和多结柔性太阳能电池，以提高效率。这项技术的商业化将提供能源安全，避免未来的电力危机，并减少全球变暖。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project seeks to develop a cost-effective, non-vacuum technology to deposit p-type transparent conducting oxide (TCO) films. The lack of effective p-type TCOs has been a long-standing problem for the electro-optic industry. It is the crucial component to advance photovoltaic technology with n-type absorbers. The Phase I project developed cutting-edge spray pyrolysis technology to deposit wide-gap p-zinc oxide (p-ZnO) films. The project achieved important breakthroughs, both in terms of the new deposition system, as well as achieving p-ZnO films with inexpensive spray pyrolysis. The structural and electro-optical data for the ZnO films validate the feasibility of the new deposition approach and provide a compelling measure of project success. The Phase II project will advance the deposition system, improve the scientific understanding of doping issues, derive process-property correlations to optimize the electro-optical properties, and integrate technology into existing technology. The broader impact/commercial potential for new optoelectronic products is increasing exponentially, owing to the demand for clean energy and the microelectronics revolution. The deposition method offers cost and manufacturability advantages over current vacuum methods; it is remarkably versatile to deposit a number of other technological semiconductors that are amenable to spray deposition. The p-ZnO films can be used for short-wavelength light-emitting diodes, laser diodes, energy efficient windows, flat panel displays, gas sensors and other opto-electronic applications. It can extend photovoltaic technology to n-type absorbers and multi-junction flexible solar cells for higher efficiency. The commercialization of this technology will provide energy security, avert future power crises and reduce global warming.