Light‐Wavelength‐Selective Transparent ITO/Ag/ITO/Ag/ITO Structure for Functional Energy Applications

Abstract

Is it possible to achieve efficient energy control without it being visible? If it could, it would enable human to produce energy in a transparent manner and manage energy usage intelligently by reducing consumption through building and vehicle windows, and other structures. Herein, thin films are created that are highly transparent and can filter light by selecting specific wavelengths. The films consist of multiple layers of ITO/Ag/ITO/Ag/ITO (IAIAI) that are designed to reflect light selectively using the Bragg reflection effect. These films are able to block an average of 89.6% of near‐infrared light in the 800–1400 nm range, while maintaining a high optical transparency of 69.2% (±0.1%) at 550 nm with an excellent sheet resistance value of 1.06 Ω □−1. The IAIAI structure is also used as electrodes for transparent photovoltaic (TPV) devices, allowing for the collection of photogenerated carriers while ensuring overall optical transparency. ZnO/NiO‐based TPV devices using IAIAI films as transparent conducting electrodes are found to have a high open‐circuit voltage value of 271 mV with a short‐circuit current density value of 1.55 mA cm−2. Thus, the multifunctional IAIAI films offer a range of possibilities for transparent energy devices.