Abstract
Transparent aluminum-doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) thin films have been successfully synthesized on silicon substrates at room temperature using a sol–gel spin-coating method. The structural and optical properties and surface morphology of the synthesized films were characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The prepared Al:ZnO retained the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO. FTIR and Raman spectra clearly revealed a major peak at 437 cm−1, associated with the ZnO bond. UV–Vis spectra showed that the Al:ZnO films were transparent from the near-ultraviolet to near-infrared region. The effect of film thickness on the physical and optical properties of the Al:ZnO thin films for 2.0 at.% aluminum concentration was investigated. Measurements revealed that the film transparency, optical energy bandgap, Urbach energy, extinction coefficient, and porosity varied with the film thickness. The energy bandgap values for the prepared thin films increased in the range of 3.18 eV to 3.2 eV with increasing film thickness.
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