Efficiency Improvement on Indium Tin Oxide Films for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Using Oxygen Plasma by Bias-Magnetron RF Sputtering Process

Wittawat Poonthong, Narong Mungkung, Tanes Tanitteerapan, Theerapong Maneepen, Apidat Songruk, Khanchai Tunlasakun, Anumut Siricharoenpanich, Somchai Arunrungrusmi () and Nat Kasayapanand ()
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Wittawat Poonthong: School of Energy Environment and Materials, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Narong Mungkung: Faculty of Industrial Education and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Tanes Tanitteerapan: Faculty of Industrial Education and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Theerapong Maneepen: Faculty of Industrial Education and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Apidat Songruk: Faculty of Industrial Education and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Khanchai Tunlasakun: Faculty of Industrial Education and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Anumut Siricharoenpanich: Faculty of Engineering, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon-Nayok 10110, Thailand
Somchai Arunrungrusmi: Faculty of Industrial Education and Technology, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Nat Kasayapanand: School of Energy Environment and Materials, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok 10140, Thailand

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 22, 1-21

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.

Keywords: ITO-nanorod; oxygen plasma; RF sputtering; DC-self bias; DSSCs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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