Comparison of the optical properties of undoped and Ga-doped ZnO thin films deposited using RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature

Abstract

The optical properties of undoped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films of various thicknesses were compared with those of Ga-doped (GZO) thin films. Transparent, high-quality undoped ZnO and GZO films were deposited successfully using radio-frequency (RF) sputtering at room temperature. The films were polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and a strongly preferred orientation along the c-axis. The films had an average optical transmission >85% in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The undoped ZnO thin films were more transparent than the GZO thin films. In the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, ZnO film has higher quality than GZO as a result of decrease in the green emission intensity.