Design Principles for the Enhanced Transparency Range of Correlated Transparent Conductors

Abstract

Correlated transparent conductors (TCs) have attracted great attention because they can overcome the limitations of conventional TCs owing to their high visible transmittance and low sheet resistance. However, the most widely studied TC 3d1 SrVO3 exhibits low ultraviolet transmittance, and the recently investigated TC 4d2 SrMoO3 has low infrared transmittance. Here, it is proposed that the wide transparency range of correlated TCs arises from both high correlation strength and high transition energy from the O-2p to the transition metal d orbitals. Applying this comprehensive design principle to single-crystalline correlated metals, it is confirmed that correlated 4d1 SrNbO3 exhibits enhanced ultraviolet–visible–infrared transmittance, with low sheet resistance at room temperature, compared to 3d1 SrVO3 and 4d2 SrMoO3. Spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations reveal that the advantageous properties of 4d1 SrNbO3 can be attributed to high p–d transition energy and moderate correlation effect. The design principle can aid the discovery of additional high-performance TC materials and further development of correlated TCs. © 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH