Future Laser Manufacturing of Nanostructured Metal Oxide Semiconductors for Functional Materials and Devices

纳米结构金属氧化物半导体在开发广泛应用的新平台方面发挥着关键作用，包括能量转换（太阳能电池、纳米发电机、燃料电池）、能量存储（电池、超级电容器）、光电子（光电探测器、发光二极管（led）、激光二极管）、传感器、晶体管和催化剂。然而，纳米结构半导体的制造面临着一个重大挑战，即如何实现大规模、低温、高成本效益、高生产率、尺寸可控的材料和易于制造的器件的组合。我们的目标是通过开发一种适用于各种纳米结构半导体的可扩展、快速、低温激光制造技术，为这些挑战提供解决方案。三种类型的纳米结构金属氧化物半导体（SnO2， TiO2和ZnO）将在1 - 2分钟内通过一步，快速和低温激光辅助水热技术（LAHT）在环境空气中在高达32 cm2（2.5英寸晶圆尺寸）的刚性和柔性衬底上合成。这将使用量身定制的扩展光束配置的高功率光纤激光器来实现，而无需光束扫描，这使得LAHT工艺能够有效地整合到卷对卷制造过程中，而无需使用高压灭菌器和熔炉。为了能够在形态、结晶度和取向方面控制纳米结构金属氧化物的生长，该项目提供了一个机会，通过LAHT探索各种纳米结构金属氧化物大规模生长的潜在机制，并通过钙钛矿太阳能电池和紫外光电探测器的组装来建立对功能器件性能的理解，即功率转换效率和操作稳定性、灵敏度和耐久性。这将直接提高光子制造能力，并展示对未来光伏和光子传感技术发展的潜在影响。此外，将对LAHT的能源消耗/碳排放进行评估，并与现有的基于高压釜/炉的技术进行比较。

Nanostructured metal oxide semiconductors play a critical role in enabling the development of new platforms for a wide range of applications, including energy conversion (solar cells, nanogenerators, fuel cells), energy storage (batteries, supercapacitors), optoelectronics (photo-detectors, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes), sensors, transistors and catalysts. However, the manufacturing of nanostructured semiconductors faces a significant challenge to achieve combined large-scale, low-temperature, cost-effective, high productivity, size-controlled materials and devices with ease of fabrication. We aim to provide a solution to these challenges through developing a scalable, rapid, low-temperature laser manufacturing technology that is applicable to a wide range of nanostructured semiconductors. Three types of nanostructured metal oxide semiconductors (SnO2, TiO2 and ZnO) will be synthesised via a one-step, rapid and low-temperature laser-assisted hydrothermal technique (LAHT) in ambient air on both rigid and flexible substrates up to 32 cm2 (2.5" wafer size), within 1 - 2 mins. This will be achieved using a tailored, expanded beam configuration of a high-power fibre laser without beam scanning, which enables the LAHT process to be efficiently incorporated into roll-to-roll manufacturing processes without the use of autoclaves and furnaces. To be able to control the growth of nanostructured metal oxides in terms of morphology, crystallinity and orientation, the project offers an opportunity to explore underlying mechanisms of large scale growth of various nanostructured metal oxides via LAHT, and to establish understanding the performance of the functional devices, i.e. power conversion efficiency and operational stability, sensitivity and durability through the assembly of perovskite solar cells and ultraviolet photodetectors. This will directly advance photonic manufacturing capability and demonstrate the potential to impact on the development of future photovoltaic and photonic sensing technologies. In addition, energy consumption/carbon emission for the LAHT will be evaluated in comparison with existing autoclave/furnace based techniques.