Inkjet-printing of antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) films for transparent conducting electrodes.

Antimony-doped Tin oxide (ATO) films have been prepared by inkjet-printing method using ATO nanoparticle inks. The electrical and optical properties of the ATO films were investigated in order to understand the effects of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) temperatures. The decrease in the sheet resistance and resistivity of the inkjet-printed ATO films was observed as the annealing temperature increased. The film annealed at 700 degrees C showed the sheet resistance of 1.7 x 10(3) Omega/sq with the film thickness of 350 nm. The optical transmittance of the films remained constant regardless of their annealing temperatures. In order to further reduce the sheet resistance of the films as well as the annealing temperature, Ag-grid was printed in between two layers of inkjet-printed ATO. With 1.5 mm Ag line spacing, the Ag-grid embedded ATO film showed the sheet resistance of 25.6 Omega/sq after RTA at 300 degrees C.