Effects of power and temperature on the structural, anti-icing, wettability, and optical properties of zinc oxide thin films

Abstract

Zinc oxide semiconductors have received significant research attention over the past decade owing to their diverse applications. In this paper, we report the development and characterisation of ZnO thin films prepared by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The optical, anti-icing, wettability, and structural properties of the films were investigated at various sputtering power levels and temperatures. With an increase in the power from 175 to 250 W, the ZnO thin films showed fine (002) structures. X-ray diffraction analysis of the coated thin films revealed a considerable increase in the (002) peak intensity along the c-axis with increasing power and temperature. Increasing the sputtering power from 175 to 250 W and the deposition temperature from 150 to 300 °C led to an increase in the average size of the grains from 10.548 to 13.151 nm and from 9.97 to 13.151 nm, respectively. The water contact angle possibly depends on the RF power and temperature employed for material deposition. Within the 350–800 nm range, the prepared films achieved optical transmissions of 92%–88%, refractive indices of 1.52–1.50, and band gaps of 3.28–3.24 eV. The anti-icing properties were also improved by adjusting the sputtering power and temperature during material deposition.