How is indium tin oxide used in solar cells?

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conductive ceramics Figure 1: Schematic diagram of a zirconia oxygen sensor used to monitor automobile exhaust gases. The sensor, approximately the size of a spark plug, is fitted into the exhaust manifold of an automobile engine. The thimble-shaped zirconia sensor, sandwiched between thin layers of porous platinum, is exposed on its interior to outside air and on its exterior to exhaust gas passing through slits in the sensor shield. The two platinum surfaces serve as electrodes, conducting a voltage across the zirconia that varies according to the difference in oxygen content between the exhaust gas and the outside air.

Indium tin oxide (ITO), a mixture of indium oxide and tin oxide, is used in solar cells as a thin, transparent electrode.1

Its utility in this application stems from a unique combination of high electronic conductivity and optical transparency, which is achieved by balancing a large band gap with the incorporation of specific electron donors. This allows the material to conduct electricity while simultaneously permitting light to pass through to the photon-absorbing layers of the cell. ITO is typically applied to these devices using standard thin-film deposition and photolithographic techniques.1