Highly transparent porous ZrO2 thin films: fabrication and optical properties

Abstract

A novel two-step method is proposed to fabricate porous zirconia (ZrO₂) thin films. A large-scale ZrO₂ thin film is thus achieved, which displays a very good light transparency, as its total transmissivity is higher than 95% within the wavelength range of 450–1100 nm, a broad range just covering both the visible and near-infrared spectral range. This property makes it a promising candidate for solar cells as a high-temperature-resistant insulating layer.