Design of Intrinsic Transparent Conductors from a Synergetic Effect of Symmetry and Spatial-Distribution Forbidden Transitions.

Intrinsic transparent conductors (ITCs) correspond to a unique class of TCs that do not need intentional doping. This character can provide ITCs significant advantages by avoiding severe "doping bottlenecks" and dopant scattering usually encountered in conventional transparent conducting oxides (TCOs). However, the realization of ITCs generally requires the minimization of photon absorption and reflection in metallic conductors, which is difficult due to the gapless nature of their band structures.