Abstract
The physical characteristics of ultrasonically sprayed indium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:In) thin films, with electrical resistivity as low as 3.42 × 10−3 Ω·cm and high optical transmittance, in the visible range, of 50%–70% is presented. Zinc acetylacetonate and indium chloride were used as the organometallic zinc precursor and the doping source, respectively, achieving ZnO:In thin films with growth rate in the order of 100 nm/min. The effects of both indium concentration and the substrate temperature on the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical characteristics were measured. All the films were polycrystalline, fitting well with hexagonal wurtzite type ZnO. A switching in preferential growth, from (002) to (101) planes for indium doped samples were observed. The surface morphology of the films showed a change from hexagonal slices to triangle shaped grains as the indium concentration increases. Potential applications as transparent conductive electrodes based on the resulting low electrical resistance and high optical transparency of the studied samples are considered.
Highlights
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a wide band gap (3.37 eV at room temperature) semiconductor with high exciton binding energy (60 meV) with multiple functionalities
We present the deposition of ZnO:In thin films on sodocalcic glass substrates, starting from zinc acetylacetonate and indium chloride as zinc and indium precursors, respectively
In the case of undoped and 1.5 at% In-doped ZnO thin films, the intensity of the peak associated with (002) plane prevails over the rest, showing a well-defined preferential growth
Summary
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a wide band gap (3.37 eV at room temperature) semiconductor with high exciton binding energy (60 meV) with multiple functionalities. The ultrasonic spraying has showed to be a better alternative for the deposition of metal oxide thin films with improved properties, information on the effect of solution composition on their morphology and other physical characteristics is still under progress. Since an ultrasonic spray process resembles a CVD system, an organometallic precursor should be adequate for film deposition under near equilibrium conditions of mass transport and substrate temperature. This might be an alternative for achieving low resistivity ZnO thin films, matching well with those developed by sophisticated physical techniques. The effect of indium concentration and substrate temperature on the structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of the films has been studied
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
