Transparent conductive oxides

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf HZDR (Forschungsstelle Leipzig)

01328 Dresden

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Overview

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) are essential components for many everyday applications and devices, such as displays, smart windows, area lighting, flexible electronics, and solar modules.
The most commonly used TCO is tin-doped indium oxide (ITO). In order to reduce the demand for the critical raw material indium, zinc oxide-based TCOs often represent a good alternative.
Tin oxide, SnO2, which exhibits the best thermal and chemical stability among known TCOs, offers a better alternative for applications in concentrated solar power, perovskite solar cells, and as electrodes in high-power electronics.
The most important functional properties of TCOs are high transparency in the visible wavelength range and high electrical conductivity.
Both are strongly dependent on point and structural defects in the materials.
The defects in SnO₂ are still not sufficiently characterized and understood, and are therefore the subject of ongoing scientific research.
To improve the knowledge base of tin oxide-based TCOs, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Diploma thesis topics are offered on sub-aspects including identification of defects, optimization of properties, and correlation of growth conditions with structural properties.
State-of-the-art methods such as magnetron sputtering, ellipsometry, UV-vis-NIR-FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction will be employed.
Department: Nanomaterials and Transport
Contact: Dr. Krause, Matthias

University enrollment in physics, chemistry, or materials science and good grades or better
Interest, enthusiasm and ability for scientific work
Basic programming skills and proficiency in using office and scientific software
Fluent English language skills