Highly transparent conductive and near-infrared reflective ZnO:Al thin films

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films have been prepared on glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The structural, optical, and electrical properties were strongly dependent on the growth temperatures. The lowest resistivity of 4.5 x 10(-4) Omega cm was obtained at an optimized temperature of 350 degrees C. The AZO films deposited at 350 degrees C also had the high optical transmittance above 87% in the visible range and the low transmittance (<15% at 1500 nm) and high reflectance (similar to 50% at 2000 nm) in the near-IR region. The good IR-reflective properties of ZnO:Al films show that they are promising for near-IR reflecting mirrors and heat reflectors. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.