Microstructural Engineering of Solution-Processed Epitaxial La-Doped BaSnO3 Transparent Conducting Films

Epitaxial La-doped BaSnO3 (BLSO) thin films were fabricated on a SrTiO3 (100) substrate by a cost-efficient and scalable solution deposition method. Microstructures and optoelectronic properties of the BLSO thin films can be controlled by the metal cation concentration (MCC) of the initially used precursor solution. It is found that thin films with a denser microstructure, lower resistivity, higher optical transmittance, and good thermal stability can be obtained from the solution with a lower MCC. The growth mechanisms of the initial nucleation are explained in detail for different MCC-derived thin films. Most of all, the highest room-temperature carrier mobility with the value of 53 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) was achieved among all solution-processed donor-doped BaSnO3 thin films to date. The herein proposed microstructural engineering of the BLSO thin films contributes a sensible and feasible avenue to optimize the optoelectronic performance of transparent conducting thin films by a simple solution approach.

Automated summary

It was found that using a precursor solution with a lower metal cation concentration can lead to BLSO thin films with denser microstructures, lower resistivity, higher optical transmittance, and good thermal stability. The highest room-temperature carrier mobility of 53 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) was achieved among all solution-processed donor-doped BaSnO3 thin films. The proposed microstructural engineering offers a sensible and feasible avenue to optimize the optoelectronic performance of transparent conducting thin films.