Ag-doped Cu-Cr-Zr alloy electrode film by co-sputtering for flexible optoelectronic applications

With the development of flexible optoelectronic devices, the research on electrode materials with high conductivity and excellent contact characteristics has received extensive attention. In this study, we successfully prepared Ag-doped Cu-Cr-Zr alloy electrode film by co-sputtering deposition on the glass and PI (polyimide) substrates, respectively. The study aimed to investigate the effect of Ag on the performance of Cu-Cr-Zr alloy electrode film for flexible optoelectronic applications. The results showed that Ag promoted the growth of the film in the direction of {111} crystal plane group and promoted the growth of more prominent grain. Moreover, doped Ag can reduce the porosity of the film. Thus, the resistivity of the film reduced from 3.18 μΩ·cm to 2.32 μΩ·cm after Ag doping. The flexible bending performance of the film was optimized, with the film’s resistivity of the film increasing only 5.6% after 20k bending. Furthermore, the film retained high adhesion strength, rating 4B on the glass substrate and 5B on the PI substrate. The root mean square of the film with a thickness of about 200 nm was less than 1.3 nm which means that the alloy film had good surface morphology. The Ag-doped Cu-Cr-Zr alloy electrode film is expected to have potential applications in flexible optoelectronic devices due to its high conductivity, excellent surface, and optimized flexible bending performance. In conclusion, the Ag-doped Cu-Cr-Zr alloy electrode film prepared in this study is a promising candidate for flexible optoelectronic applications.