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

这个小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的目的是商业化的技术，解决透明导电氧化物（TCO）薄膜的性能和成本的问题。这对于利用TCO膜的光电器件（如LED、OLED、薄膜光致发光器件和智能窗）的制造商来说是重要的问题，并且是已经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沉积氧化锌（ZnO）基TCO薄膜的解决方案来解决这个问题，该薄膜具有比当前沉积方法和TCO材料更低的材料，能源和资本设备成本的潜力。特别是，该项目将探索提高这种解决方案沉积过程的速度，并结合性能增强的可编程特性。该技术基于NSF资助的基础研究，其潜力的基本原理已在几个同行评审的出版物中得到证明。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是显著的。如果成功开发，溶液沉积多功能抗反射和透明导电ZnO薄膜将提供一个重要的市场机会。更大的TCO沉积市场每年至少为数十亿美元，其中可以通过溶液沉积的基于ZnO的TCO最容易地解决的那些应用每年代表数亿至超过五亿美元。在大多数应用中，在不显著降低其他重要TCO膜特性的情况下，结合可调的TCO特性的能力可能具有器件性能和/或经济效益。通过提供有助于降低成本和提高节能LED、OLED和智能窗户以及可再生能源光伏太阳能电池性能的技术，该项目具有提高这些技术采用率的长期潜力，从而为美国和世界创造一个更可持续的能源未来。在提高科学认识方面，从该项目中获得的知识有可能激励其他人研究绿色化学方法，如微波辅助沉积，用于合成和沉积先进的无机材料。

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.