Structural, optical and luminescent characteristics of sprayed fluorine-doped In2O3 thin films for solar cells

Fluorine-doped indium oxide thin films, F-In2O3, prepared by the spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrates have been studied using cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and spectrophotometry. These films, deposited at the optimal substrate temperature (Ts=450 °C), crystallize in a cubic structure with a preferential orientation along the (4 0 0) direction. For this temperature, the electrical resistivity is in the order of 6×10−3 Ω cm and the average optical transmission in the visible region is larger than 95%. At room temperature, the cathodoluminescence spectra of F-In2O3 present two emission peaks: blue indirect band gap peak at 410 nm and a red emission at 650 nm.