Effects of Aluminum Chloride Concentrations on Structural and Optical Properties of Al-doped ZnO Thin Films Prepared by the Sol-Gel Method

Abstract

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films were grown on quartz substrates by the sol-gel method. The effects of the Al mole fraction on the structural and optical properties of the AZO thin films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-VIS spectroscopy. The particle size of the AZO thin films decreased with an increase in Al concentrations. The optical parameters, the optical band gap, absorption coefficient, refractive index, dispersion parameter, and optical conductivity, were studied in order to investigate the effects of Al concentration on the optical properties of AZO thin films. The dispersion energy, single-oscillator energy, average oscillator wavelength, average oscillator strength, and refractive index at an infinite wavelength of the AZO thin films were affected by the Al incorporation. The optical conductivity of the AZO thin films also increased with increasing photon energy.