Improvement in n-ZnO/p-Si diode properties using ZnO/AZO homogeneous metal contact

In this study, an n-ZnO/p-Si diode with a ZnO/AZO homogeneous metal contact was fabricated and compared with a ZnO/Al metal contact. AZO films were deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD). Prior to the device fabrication, the AZO films were optimized in terms of their characteristic as TCO on a soda lime glass. Their resistivity is 1.08 × 10−3 Ω·cm and their transmittance is over 80% in the visible light region for a 5% Al doping concentration. The leakage current of ZnO/AZO homogeneous contact diodes is lower than that of ZnO/Al devices. In addition, under thermal stress induced by changing substrate temperature from 300 to 450 K, the contact resistance of the ZnO/AZO structure is more stable than that of the ZnO/Al structure.