Development of ultra-thin cerium-doped indium oxide transparent conductive films with high carrier mobility

Ce-doped In₂O₃ (ICO) represents an exceptionally promising material for the application of transparent conductive electrodes. In this study, ICO transparent conductive films were fabricated by reactive plasma deposition (RPD) technology, aiming to develop cost-effective, high-performance front electrodes for perovskite solar cells. By optimizing the O₂/H₂ gas ratio and the substrate transport speed, ICO films with excellent photoelectric properties were successfully obtained. The 100 nm ICO film exhibited a carrier mobility of 159.1 cm²/V·s and a resistivity of 2.2 × 10⁻⁴ Ω·cm. The prepared 30 nm ultra-thin ICO film also achieved a high carrier mobility of 138 cm²/V·s with a resistivity of 4.7 × 10^–4 Ω·cm. The ultra-thin ICO possesses a broad and smooth transmission spectrum, with an average transmittance reaching 94.0% (400–1100 nm). The synergistic optimization of Ce doping and RPD technology enables the 30 nm ICO film to reach advanced levels among comparable TCO materials in both carrier mobility and transmittance. Moreover, 30 nm thickness significantly reduces the consumption of the metal indium, contributing to the development of more economically viable and high-performance transparent conductive electrodes.