Abstract
Micro-ring structured zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were prepared on glass substrates by spray pyrolysis and their structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties were investigated. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the films’ hexagonal wurtzite phase with a preferred (002) grain orientation. The mean crystallite size calculated on the basis of the Debye-Scherrer model was 24 nm and a small dislocation density of was obtained, indicating the existence of few lattice defects and good crystallinity. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs revealed the film’s granular nature composed of rod-shaped and spherical nanoparticles which agglomerated to form micro-ring like film clusters on the film surface. The average transmittance in the visible region, optical band gap and Urbach energy were approximately 75–80%, 3.28 eV and 57 meV, respectively. The refractive index and extinction coefficient were determined using Swanepoel’s envelope method. Raman spectroscopy revealed the presence of small amounts of residual tensile stress and low density of defects in the ZnO thin films. This was consistent with XRD analysis. A low sheet resistivity and high figure of merit were obtained for our films indicating their suitability in optoelectronic applications.
Highlights
Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films have attracted significant research attention in the recent years due to their wide use in optoelectronic devices such as touch screens, liquid crystal displays, solar cells and light emitting diodes [1, 2, 3]
Transparent conducting zinc oxide (ZnO) is extremely an attractive replacement material for Indium tin oxide (ITO) due to its good optical and electrical properties coupled with the low cost, non-toxicity and abundance in nature of Zn [6]
Previous studies have reported on the good electrical stability of ZnO thin films [12] and their use as an air stable anode for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) [13, 14]
Summary
Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films have attracted significant research attention in the recent years due to their wide use in optoelectronic devices such as touch screens, liquid crystal displays, solar cells and light emitting diodes [1, 2, 3]. Indium tin oxide (ITO) is the most commonly used TCO due to its high transparency to visible light and high electrical conductivity [4, 5]. The optical and electrical properties of ITO are degraded when exposed to a hydrogen plasma environment [3] In this regard, transparent conducting zinc oxide (ZnO) is extremely an attractive replacement material for ITO due to its good optical and electrical properties coupled with the low cost, non-toxicity and abundance in nature of Zn [6]. We report the synthesis and characterization of ZnO thin films with micro-ring structures, deposited on glass substrates at 623 K by spray pyrolysis as possible candidates for replacing ITO films in optoelectronic applications
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