Hafnium oxide thin films as a barrier against copper diffusion in solar absorbers

The thermal stability of copper substrate material used in solar thermal collectors was investigated with and without atomic layer deposited (ALD) hafnium oxide barrier films at temperatures of 200–400°C. HfO2 films were studied as barriers against thermal diffusion of copper substrate atoms. The ALD HfO2 thin films were deposited in a thermal process at 200°C using Tetrakis(Dimethylamido)Hafnium(Hf(NMe2)4) and H2O precursors, with 200, 400, and 600 cycles. The Cu substrates with and without HfO2 thin films were aged by means of heat treatment in air. The influence of the HfO2 barriers was determined by optical, microstructural, and morphological analyses before and after the ageing procedures. The optical performance of the HfO2 barriers as a part of solar absorber stack was modelled with CODE Coating Designer.