| Vertically aligned nanorods were grown on a seed layer at low temperatures (≤ 90°C). The microstructures and growth kinetics of hydrothermally grown ZnO films with various processing conditions were investigated. Nanorods grown from the seed layer had a strong c-axis (002) orientation and the alignment, density, and growth rate could be controlled by processing conditions such as deposition time, deposition method such as continuous and stepwise depositions, and the degree of supersaturation that incorporates pH, and concentration of precursor solution. Photovoltaic performance of Dye Sensitized Solar Cells was tested with a solar simulator (AM 1.5, 100 mW/cm2). The photovoltaic performance was the best with a highly-aligned and densely-packed rod structure, which was obtained from continuous deposition of ZnO with zinc acetate based precursor solution on a spin coated seed layer, and the photo conversion efficiency was 2.6% for the resulting 3 micro meter thick film. |
