Ink‐Jet Printing of Aqueous Inks for Single‐Layer Deposition of Al‐Doped ZnO Thin Films

In this article, Al ‐doped ZnO thin films deposited by a one single‐layer approach are studied. An aqueous precursor solution was prepared for the deposition of Al ‐doped ZnO thin film via ink‐jet printing. The physical properties of the ink were studied in detail by rheology measurement and drop visualization. The wetting of the ink with the substrate was studied by the use of wetting envelopes. A single layer of the ink was deposited on the substrate and fully processed. The thin films were studied by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, resistivity measurements, and optical transmission measurements. The optimal dopant concentration was set at 3 at.%, which resulted in thin films with a resistivity of 2.54 cΩ cm and an optical transmission larger than 90% over the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum.