Effect on the dielectric properties due to In–N co-doping in ZnO particles

Abstract

Zinc oxide (ZnO) particles are widely used for various applications, and their tuned structural, optical and dielectric properties can offer significant enhancement in the performance of photovoltaic devices. In the present work, undoped and indium (In)–nitrogen (N) co-doped ZnO particles were synthesized via co-precipitation technique. Moreover, the correlation among their structural, optical and dielectric properties was investigated in detail. X-ray diffraction (XRD) along with Rietveld refinement and Raman analysis confirmed the pure hexagonal wurtzite structure with P63mc space group in all the samples. The surface morphology and formation of metal oxide functional groups were identified by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. Ultraviolet (UV)–visible spectroscopy showed the irregular variations in the band gap with increasing doping concentration that can be explained in terms of lattice strain and defect state formation. The dielectric behavior of all samples was examined as a function of frequency and explained by Maxwell–Wagner model. The observed structural, optical and dielectric behavior of In–N co-doped ZnO particles may open the way for their potential applicability in new emerging photovoltaics such as dye-sensitized solar cells in the near future.