Influence of growth temperature on light trapping properties of ZnO:Al nanorods grown on seed layers with crater-like structures

We report the growth and characterization of textured ZnO:Al (AZO) films with excellent optoelectronic properties. The surface morphology depended strongly on growth temperature; in particular, the effect of hydrothermal growth temperature on the optoelectronic properties and light trapping abilities of AZO nanorods grown on the crater-like AZO seed layers was investigated systematically. The AZO nanorods grown at 110 degrees C were relatively dense, indicating that hydrothermal growth temperature can promote the growth of AZO nanorods along the direction perpendicular to the substrates. The difference in the height and orientation of AZO nanorods prepared at 100 degrees C resulted in significant enhancement of light trapping abilities. In addition, the textured AZO films maintained low sheet resistance and high total transmittance.