Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO) Substrate

university wafer substrates

FTO Deposited Glass Wafers

A postdoc requested a quote for the follwoing.

Do you also have ITO deposited glass and FTO deposited glass?

If yes, I need 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch around 500 pieces.

UniversityWafer, Inc. Quoted:

FTO Glass Substrate (TEC 15) 1" x 1" x 2.2 mm, R:12-14 ohm/sq

ITO Coated Glass Substrate 10mm x 10 mm x 0.7 mm, R:9-15 ohm/sq,Nominal ITO film thickness: 180 nm 

Reference #139874 for specs and pricing.

FTO Conductive Transparent Substrates

A PhD candidate requested a quote for the following.

The dimensions don't really matter to me. I just need conductive, transparent substrates that will be diced into pieces ranging from 1cm x 1cm to approx. 1" x 2". The thickness is not really important either, just thick enough that they can be handled easily without breaking, maybe around 1 mm. It

It doesn't specifically have to be ITO/FTO as I specified, it just needs to be high conductivity, highly transparent and be chemically stable in mild acid and base solutions for durations of up to maybe a day.

Reference #103101 for specs and pricing.

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What are FTO Substrates and What are its Semiconductor Applications?

FTO Substrates refer to Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide coated glass.

  • FTO stands for Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (SnO₂:F).

  • It’s a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) — meaning it allows light to pass through while also square FTO (Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide) substrateconducting electricity.

  • Typically, it’s a thin film of tin oxide (SnO₂) that's doped (i.e., intentionally modified) with a small amount of fluorine to improve its electrical conductivity without significantly sacrificing transparency.

  • The substrate usually refers to the underlying material — most often glass, sometimes plastic or other surfaces.

Layered structure diagram showing glass substrate, FTO-coated glass, semiconductor layer, and FTO layer used in semiconductor devices like solar cells

Why FTO is special:

  • It’s highly transparent (~80% or more in visible range).

  • It’s chemically stable (better than Indium Tin Oxide, or ITO, in harsh conditions).

  • It’s conductive with relatively low sheet resistance (typical: 10–20 ohms/sq).

  • It tolerates high processing temperatures (>500°C), which is important for certain semiconductor fabrication steps.

Applications of FTO Substrates in Semiconductors:

Application Role of FTO Substrate Why FTO is used Image
Solar cells (Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, DSSCs) Acts as the transparent electrode where photoelectric conversion happens. High transparency + electrical conductivity. square FTO (Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide) substrate used in solar cells, showing transparent conductive coating
Perovskite Solar Cells Front electrode and sometimes as a bottom substrate for spin-coating layers. Stability against halides and processing temperatures. Square FTO (Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide) substrate used in perovskite solar cells, featuring transparent conductive coating on glass"
Photocatalysis (e.g., water splitting) Conductive support for photocatalyst layers like TiO₂. Chemically stable in aqueous and oxidative environments. Square FTO (Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide) substrate used for photocatalysis applications such as water splitting, featuring transparent conductive coating
Electrochromic devices (smart windows) Conductive layer where voltage changes optical properties. Durability under cycling. smart window using electrochromic technology to control light and heat transmission, showing adjustable transparency
Sensors Base layer for biosensors, gas sensors, etc., for electrochemical or photoelectrochemical detection. Good combination of transparency, conductivity, and chemical inertness. biosensor device detecting biological samples with integrated microelectronic circuit
OLEDs / Displays Alternative transparent anode in displays when stability matters. When stability is more critical than conductivity. OLED display screen

Quick real-world example:

In a dye-sensitized solar cell, you have a sandwich structure:
Glass → FTO → TiO₂ layer → Dye → Electrolyte → Counter electrode
Here, the FTO provides both the light entrance path and the electric contact to collect generated charges.