Abstract
Doped (with GaCl3), undoped ZnO and ITO/ZnO:Ga nanostructured thin films are synthesized using the spray pyrolysis method. The doped ZnO thin films are synthesized at the atomic ratio of Ga/Zn added in the starting solution fixed at 1, 2, 3, and 5. Gallium-doped ZnO films synthesized on glass/ITO substrates are annealed at 4500C in different environments: vacuum, oxygen, and hydrogen. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and current–voltage (I–V) measurements are applied to characterize the structural properties, composition, surface morphology, and electrical properties of ZnO:Ga nanostructured thin films. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that ZnO:Ga films deposited on glass substrates have a dense and homogeneous surface with a hexagonal structure. The ZnO:Ga films deposited on glass/ITO substrates are composed of two phases, namely, hexagonal ZnO and cubic ITO. The I–V characteristics show the presence of good ohmic contacts between Al and In metals and ZnO:Ga thin films regardless of the nature of the substrate and the annealing atmosphere.
Highlights
Zinc oxide has attracted great attention due to its versatile nature
The X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies of Ga-doped ZnO thin films deposited on a glass substrate at the Ga/Zn fixed atomic ratio of 1, 2, 3, and 5 revealed a polycrystalline nature with the (0002) plane as the dominant orientation
Nanostructured Ga-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on glass and indium tin oxide (ITO)/glass substrates by spray pyrolysis in an Ar atmosphere at a substrate temperature of 450 C and annealed at 450 C in different environments: vacuum, oxygen, and hydrogen
Summary
Zinc oxide has attracted great attention due to its versatile nature. Zinc oxide has a hexagonal wurtzite structure (P63mc) with lattice constants of a = 3.252 Å and c = 5.313 Å [1]. Gomez et al [12] prepared gallium-doped zinc oxide (Ga:ZnO) thin films on glass substrates by the spray pyrolysis technique and found that ZnO:Ga exhibits the n-type conductivity with an electrical resistivity on the order of 8 × 10−3 Ω cm and an optical transmittance higher than 80% in the visible region. These results make chemically sprayed Ga:ZnO potentially applicable as transparent electrode in photovoltaic devices. The aim of this study is to optimize the preparation of Ga-doped ZnO deposited on ITO/glass substrate to explore their optoelectronic properties
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