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Cover Picture: A Birefringent and Transparent Electrical Conductor (Adv. Funct. Mater. 15/2008)
Author(s) -
Harris Kenneth D.,
van Popta Andy C.,
Sit Jeremy C.,
Broer Dirk J.,
Brett Michael J.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.200890059
Subject(s) - materials science , birefringence , indium tin oxide , substrate (aquarium) , conductor , transparent conducting film , optoelectronics , thin film , deposition (geology) , nanotechnology , optics , composite material , paleontology , oceanography , sediment , geology , biology , physics
Indium tin oxide (ITO) is well known as a transparent material that is also capable of conducting electrical signals. On page 2147 , Ken Harris, Mike Brett, and colleagues report the engineering of two additional, more unconventional properties into ITO. By depositing from an oblique angle and continuously repositioning the substrate during deposition, a large and tunable birefringence is introduced into thin ITO films, and the coatings are also shown to be capable of aligning liquid crystals.