Cation-cation co-doped ZnO thin films for transparent conductive oxide applications

Abstract

This paper presents a recent study on the structural and transparent conductive properties of sol–gel spin-coated ZnO films, focusing on the effects of cation-cation co-doping. The co-doping combinations investigated include (Sn-Ga), (Ga-Co), and (Ga-Mg). All the films exhibit a ZnO hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure with varying crystallite sizes. Interestingly, the films deposited on glass substrates show a high degree of texture along the (002) lattice plane. Among the (Ga-Sn) co-doped ZnO films deposited on glass substrates, the film with 1 at% Sn-Ga co-doping demonstrates the most promising results in terms of both transparency and electrical conductivity. On quartz substrates, the (Ga-Co) co-doped ZnO films with a composition of 3 at% Ga and 1 at% Co exhibit significantly enhanced optical transmittance and high electrical conductivity, making them promising candidates for optoelectronic applications. Furthermore, the (Ga-Mg) co-doping results in improved optical transmittance and high electrical conductivity for the ZnO films deposited on glass substrates with a composition of 1 at% Ga and 3 at% Mg. The observed results on cation-cation co-doped ZnO films represent an exciting and novel advancement in the field of TCO materials. The findings contribute significantly to the ongoing progress and understanding of co-doped ZnO films as efficient TCO materials for various optoelectronic applications.