Tuning Optical Properties of FTO via Carbonaceous Al2O3 Microdot Deposition by DC plasma sputtering

Abstract

Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) is a key transparent conductive oxide for photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices, yet its high reflectance limits light-trapping efficiency. This work demonstrates a simple DC plasma sputtering approach to deposit carbonaceous Al2O3 microdots on FTO under controlled Ar, O2, and Ar-O2 atmospheres. For plasma discharge in the normal mode, with plasma density 10^9 cm^-3 and temperature of 2 eV, Volmer-Weber growth produced discrete microdots whose size and distribution were tuned by gas composition: dense, uniform dots in Ar (approximately 0.89 um radius), agglomerated structures in O2, and intermediate morphologies in mixed atmospheres. Structural analysis confirmed Al2O3 formation with carbon incorporation, while SEM revealed morphology-driven optical behavior. UV-Vis measurements showed that Ar-O2 coatings achieved the lowest reflectance across the visible range, outperforming bare FTO and other conditions. These findings establish a clear link between sputtering parameters, surface morphology, and optical performance, offering a scalable route to anti-reflective, light-trapping coatings for next-generation solar cells and optoelectronic devices.