Synthesis, structural and optical characterization of undoped, N-doped ZnO and co-doped ZnO thin films

Abstract

ZnO, N-doped ZnO and Al-N co-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on ITO coated corning glass by spin coater using sol-gel method. The films were annealed in air at 450°C for one hour. The crystallographic structure and morphology of the films were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively. The X-ray diffraction results confirm that the thin films are of wurtzite hexagonal with a very small distortion. The optical properties were investigated by transmission spectra of different films using spectrophotometer (Shimadzu UV-VIS-NIR 3600). The results indicate that the N doped ZnO thin films have obviously enhanced transmittance in visible region. Moreover, the thickness of the films has strong influences on the optical constants.