An Ultrathin, Smooth, and Low-Loss Al-Doped Ag Film and Its Application as a Transparent Electrode in Organic Photovoltaics

An ultrathin, smooth, and low-loss Ag film without a wetting layer is achieved by co-depositing a small amount of Al into Ag. The film can be as thin as 6 nm, with a roughness below 1 nm and excellent mechanical flexibility. Organic photovoltaics that use these thin films as transparent electrode show superior efficiency to their indium tin oxide (ITO) counterparts because of improved photon management.