Publication: Efficiency Improvement on Indium Tin Oxide Films for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Using Oxygen Plasma by Bias-Magnetron RF Sputtering Process
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Issued Date
2024-11-01
Resource Type
eISSN
19961073
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85210316019
Journal Title
Energies
Volume
17
Issue
22
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Energies Vol.17 No.22 (2024)
Suggested Citation
Poonthong W., Mungkung N., Tanitteerapan T., Maneepen T., Songruk A., Tunlasakun K., Siricharoenpanich A., Arunrungrusmi S., Kasayapanand N. Efficiency Improvement on Indium Tin Oxide Films for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Using Oxygen Plasma by Bias-Magnetron RF Sputtering Process. Energies Vol.17 No.22 (2024). doi:10.3390/en17225585 Retrieved from: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14740/20275
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Abstract
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are among the most widely studied thin-film solar cells because of their cost-effectiveness, low toxicity, and simple fabrication method. However, there is still much scope for replacing current DSSC materials due to their high cost, low volume, and lack of long-term stability. Accordingly, indium tin oxide (ITO)-nanorod films were fabricated by electron (E)-beam evaporation using the glancing angle deposition method in this study. Then, the ITO-nanorod was treated with oxygen plasma via a bias-magnetron radio-frequency (RF) sputtering process to improve the efficiency of DSSCs under a varying gas flow rate of 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 sccm. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) investigation of the ITO film structure revealed that the obtained nanorod structures have slightly different diameters. At the same time, an increase in the oxygen flow rate resulted in a rougher film surface structure. In this, the lower sheet resistance was received because of rougher morphology. When comparing the DSSCs efficiency (η) test results, we found that at a gas flow rate of 100 sccm, the highest efficiency value showed 9.5%. On the other hand, the ITO-nanorod without plasma treatment exhibited the lowest η. Hence, plasma technology can be practically applied to improve the η of DSSC devices. This study will be a prototype of a highly advanced solar cell manufacturing method for the solar cell industry.