<b>PHYSICS GRADUATE STUDENT SYMPOSIUM</b><br>Ultra-Thin, Smooth and Low Loss Al-Doped Ag Film and Its Application in Optoelectronic Devices

Thin Ag films are widely used in various devices such as solar cells, plasmonic devices and meta-materials due to its good conductivity and low loss in the visible and NIR regions. However, it is very difficult to obtain a very thin and smooth Ag film due to its tendency to form 3D islands during the film growth. We have developed an effective approach to achieve ultra-thin and smooth Ag films by co-depositing a small amount of Al during the film deposition. The film can be as thin as 6 nm on various substrates without any wetting layer, and with sub-nm roughness. It has significantly improved thermal and long-term stability compared with pure Ag. Al-doped Ag has been employed in applications such as semi-transparent conductor for organic solar cells, long range surface plasmonic waveguide, and hyperbolic metamaterials.

 Lunch will be served in the Don Meyer Common room at 11:50 A.M.