Influence of atmosphere and material properties on damp heat stability of ZnO:Al

Abstract

We report on electrical properties and corrosion of ZnO:Al thin films on glass after damp heat treatments under various atmospheric conditions. The ZnO:Al films were prepared by in-line magnetron sputtering onto glass substrates. Damp heat treatments took place at 90 8C in various humid atmospheres including air, nitrogen, and mixtures of argon and carbon dioxide. Dry heat did not affect the properties of ZnO:Al films. Humidity, however, led to a significant increase in resistivity depending on preparation conditions of the ZnO:Al and the composition of the atmosphere. Additionally, humid CO 2 levels exceeding 5% significantly etched the ZnO:Al films with resistance increase by orders of magnitude. The only exception from degradation exhibited the damp heat stable ZnO:Al that had experienced the so-called highmobility annealing under the protective layer before degradation. This unique behavior was related to bulk properties of the ZnO:Al rather than a barrier effect at the film surface.

Reliability aspects of hydrogen‐doped indium oxide

“…Which particular element or molecule is responsible for the degradation is still under investigation. Though, CO 2 has been suggested as probable candidate to degrade ZnO:Al in the presence of water , a recent investigation disproved the influence of small fractions of CO 2 . As already pointed out, similar processes are likely to be involved in the degradation of In 2 O 3 :H as well.…”

Importance of atmospheric aerosol pollutants on the degradation of Al2O3 encapsulated Al‐doped zinc oxide window layers in solar cells

“…15 Flexible modules are susceptible to mechanical stress (e.g., bending and deformation), thus most likely prone to form temporary or local cracks through which chemical pollutants can penetrate and degrade the underlying active material. Some works [8][9][10][15][16][17] have considered effects of humidity and atmospheric gases such as CO 2 and O 2 on the stability of CIGS and in particular on the AZO, introducing pollutants in humid gases or in immersion conditions. The effects of the atmospheric gases have been, however, studied only for non-encapsulated systems, assuming that any encapsulation layer is enough strong to completely block the access of the gaseous and particulate constituents.…”