•  
  •  
 

COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF BINARIZATION METHODS IN AFM IMAGES FOR INVESTIGATING POROSITY OF FLUORINE-DOPED TIN OXIDE THIN FILMS**

Abstract

This study focuses particularly on a computational analysis of morphological properties for determining porosity in Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO) thin films. Analysis of porous materials plays a pivotal role in optimizing the optical, electrical, mechanical, and structural properties in optoelectronic market applications, including solar cells and gas sensors. By characterizing and controlling porosity, researchers and engineers can design and fabricate materials with enhanced performance, efficiency, and reliability for a wide range of optoelectronic devices. In this study, we quantitatively analyze key parameters in Atomic Force Microscopy Images (AFM) images of serial layered FTO using a combination of analytical software tools, namely Gwyddion and MATLAB, and employing methods such as binarization with an adaptive threshold and Monte Carlo simulations. The methodology and analytical techniques presented here facilitate a comprehensive characterization of porosity offering valuable insights into the microstructural features of the films; in particular, we denote the significance of performing such analysis on strictly morphological images obtained using an AFM. We report a mean porosity of 0.93% in singly layered FTO, however, in evaluating the porosity of serial layers of FTO thin films we may determine the efficacy of FTO films in various optoelectronic devices with pertinence to porosity; hence, the defined analytical methods represent a crucial stage in the fabrication, commercialization, and optimization of future optoelectronics.

Acknowledgements

Partial funding support provided by the Georgia Space Grant Consortium, a NASA, United States; Training Grant NNH18ZHA007C.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS