ZnO:Al on rough substrates: From surface texture to conductivity prediction

The growth of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) on textured substrates is challenging due to growth disturbances that deteriorate ZnO:Al conductivity. This contribution demonstrates that highly conductive ZnO:Al films on textured substrates can be obtained by the use of proper substrate morphologies. A model was developed to predict the suitability of textured surfaces for the growth of ZnO:Al. Besides the number of growth disturbances within the ZnO:Al films, their distribution is an important parameter determining the conductivity.