Formation of Nano-Structures on ITO Antireflection Coating by Hydrogen Plasma Treatments

Recently, low dimensional semiconductor structures such as metallic nanoparticles, have attracted significant attention for photovoltaics. In this work we study the low-temperature formation of metallic nano-dots in an indium tin oxide (ITO) antireflection coating for solar cells after an appropriate hydrogen plasma treatment. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used for the analysis of the morphology, electrical properties and composition of ITO layers deposited on Corning glass at different temperatures and subsequently subjected to hydrogen plasma. Formation of highly conductive nano-structures at hydrogenation temperatures below 250degC is observed. It is shown that the nano-structures formation can be controlled by the time and the temperature of the hydrogenation