Study of the Irradiation Effect by α-Particles on Optical Properties of ZnO:6%In Thin Films

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of radiation doses of 4.78MeV energy of alpha particles emitted from radium radioactive source (Ra226), which gives an equivalent dose rate of (5mrem/h) with an activity of (60KBq ), on the optical properties of 350nm thickness of the ZnO thin films doped 6% rate of indium (In) that prepared by spray pyrolysis technique. The study of the optical properties included energy gap, reflectivity, absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, real and imaginary insulation constant by recording the transmission and absorption spectra of photons have wavelength range of 300-1000nm before and after exposing the thin film to α-particles to radiation doses of 125, 250 and 500mSv by exposing them to different time periods. When ZnO:6%In thin films exposed to radiation dose, the results generally showed decreasing of the energy gap value, a slight variation in the values of reflectivity, absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, real and imaginary insulation constant at the low dose (125mSv), and a significant variation in the values of these properties at higher doses (250, 500mSv) with a variation in behavior of the curves with the increasing of doses values.