STTR Phase I: Low-Cost and Green Deposition of Multifunctional Oxide Films

该小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段项目旨在将一项解决透明导电氧化物(TCO)薄膜性能和成本问题的技术商业化。对于使用TCO薄膜(如LED、OLED、薄膜光伏和智能窗)的光电设备制造商来说，这是一个重要的问题，也是一个受到学术界和工业界大量关注的问题。该项目旨在通过探索一种镀锌基TCO薄膜的解决方案来解决这一问题，该工艺有可能提供比目前的沉积方法和TCO材料更低的材料、能源和资本设备成本。特别是，该项目将探索提高溶液沉积过程的速度，并纳入性能增强的减反射性能。这项技术是基于NSF资助的基础研究，其潜力的基本原理已经在几个同行评议的出版物中得到了证明。这个项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是巨大的。如果开发成功，溶液沉积的多功能增透导电氧化锌薄膜将提供一个重要的市场机会。更大的TCO沉积市场每年至少有数十亿美元，而那些最容易通过溶液沉积的氧化锌基TCO解决的应用每年有数亿至5亿美元。在大多数应用中，能够在不显著降低其他重要的TCO膜特性的情况下结合可调减反射特性，可能会带来器件性能和/或经济效益。通过提供有助于降低节能LED、OLED和智能窗户以及可再生能源光伏太阳能电池的成本和性能的技术，该项目具有增加这些技术的采用的长期潜力，从而为美国和世界创造一个更可持续的能源未来。在增进科学认识方面，该项目所获得的知识有可能促使其他人研究合成和沉积先进无机材料的绿色化学方法，如微波辅助沉积。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is aimed at commercializing a technology which addresses the problem of Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) film performance and cost. This is an important issue for the manufacturers of optoelectronic devices that utilize TCO films, like LEDs, OLEDs, thin-film photovoltaics, and smart windows, and is an issue which has received a significant amount of academic and industrial attention. This project aims to address the issue by exploring a solution process for depositing Zinc Oxide (ZnO) based TCO films with potential to provide lower materials, energy, and capital equipment costs than current deposition methods and TCO materials. In particular, this project will explore increasing the speed of this solution deposition process and incorporating performance enhancing antireflection properties. This technology is based on NSF funded basic research and the fundamentals of its potential have been demonstrated in several peer reviewed publications. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is significant. If successfully developed, solution deposited multifunctional antireflective and transparent conductive ZnO films would present a significant market opportunity. The greater TCO deposition market is at least several billion dollars per year, with those applications that can most easily be addressed by solution deposited ZnO based TCOs representing several hundred million to over half a billion dollars per year. In the majority of applications, there could be device performance and/or economic benefit from the ability to incorporate tunable antireflection properties without significantly diminishing other important TCO film characteristics. By providing technology that will help lower costs and improve the performance of energy conserving LEDs, OLEDs, and smart windows, as well as renewable energy generating photovoltaic solar cells, this project has the long term potential to increase adoption of these technologies, which in turn creates a more sustainable energy future for the U.S. and the world. In terms of enhancing scientific understanding, the knowledge gained from this project has potential to spur others to examine green chemistry methods, such as microwave assisted deposition, for synthesizing and depositing advanced inorganic materials.