Transparent conductors on polymer films

The paper will present a review of different solutions for transparent conducting electrodes on flexible substrates. The analysis of the present situation reveals a gap for low sheet resistance electrodes. Two new approaches to the problem will be presented. The first one is a novel technology for the deposition of zinc oxide on polyethylene terephtalate film. The intention for this process is the establishment of a low cost coating in a roll-to-roll machine. Silicon was used as the dopant material with a concentration varying in different samples between 1 and 4 %. The optimum parameters provided a transparent layer with a sheet resistance of 16 ?squ. Metal grids are a second promising approach for achieving low sheet resistance electrodes. The combination of these grids with transparent conducting oxides (TCO) will be presented. The TCO were deposited under vacuum in a roll-to-roll coating machine. The grids were applied by aerosol jet printing and subsequent tempering of the film.