As-deposited Thin Films Research Articles

Helium ions irradiation of tantalum-zirconium carbide thin films: The effect of acetylene gas contents

Considering that the materials play a vital role in the life-time of future nuclear fusion reactors, it is necessary to research and discover the new candidate materials and evaluate their behavior in simulated environments. For this purpose, in this study, at first, tantalum-zirconium carbide (TaZrC) thin films were deposited on tungsten (W) substrate by using DC Magnetron Sputtering at different acetylene (C2H2)/argon (Ar) gas contents. Subsequently, the microstructural and mechanical properties of the thin films were assessed under the helium Ions irradiation with energy and fluence of 700 keV and 7 × 1019 ions/m2, respectively. Then, X-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed to evaluate the microstructure of as-deposited and irradiated TaZrC thin films. Moreover, the nanoindentation test discovered that the hardness and elastic modulus of the thin films reduced after irradiation. The Raman spectroscopy showed different bonds available in the thin films. The FESEM images indicated that significant defects such as bubbles, voids, and blisters did not form on the surface of the thin films. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) detected that the carbon content of the thin films increased after irradiation. Finally, radiation damage and displacement-per-atom (dpa) were estimated for different elemental compositions using the SRIM simulation code based on the damage energy method.

Understanding non-stochiometric deposition of multi-principal elemental NiCoCr thin films

Multi-principal elemental NiCoCr thin films with compositional flexibility have potential applications as a thermal barrier, corrosion-resistant coatings, and functional energy materials. In this study, the non-stochiometric multi-principal element alloy thin film formation behavior from an equiatomic ablation target of NiCoCr using pulsed laser deposition has been reported. Here, the effect of varying laser fluence on compositions of constituent elements in the NiCoCr thin films is systematically investigated. The increase in laser fluence typically increases the likelihood of acquiring undesirable particulates in thin films. Therefore, to maintain the film quality the laser fluences are adjusted within the range of 1.3–3.3 J·cm−2, while the film thicknesses are kept constant at ∼30 nm. Results show that the constituent elements are well-distributed in the formed NiCoCr thin films, however, having average atomic percentages of Ni and Cr twice as high as Co irrespective of the equiatomic composition of individual elements in the ablation target. This stochiometric alteration in the as-deposited thin films is governed by the rate of ablation and subsequent evaporation of each element, which is facilitated by the optical properties and vapor pressure of individual constituent elements. Additionally, electron energy-loss spectroscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis reveal that the thin films have partially oxidized, with the Cr oxidation contributing the most to the O-K edge in comparison to Ni and Co. This study presents a laser-assisted pathway for fabricating compositionally flexible NiCoCr thin films and develops an understanding of the non-equilibrium laser-material interactions and how the intrinsic properties of constituent elements affect the stoichiometric flow of materials from the target to the final film deposition.

Enhanced high-temperature stability of indium tin oxide - Indium oxide thermocouples by two-step annealing

The complex internal structure of the aero-engine and the high-temperature, high-pressure, and high-speed airflow make it difficult to measure the internal temperature. Indium tin oxide (ITO) and In2O3 films have been studied for their application in high-temperature thermocouples and strain gauges. Due to their large Seebeck coefficient and high-temperature stability, ceramic thin-film thermocouples are expected to be used at high-temperature measure. In this paper, ITO-In2O3 thermocouples were fabricated by magnetron sputtering. Besides, the electrical properties of the air-annealed and two-step nitrogen-annealed thermocouples were compared, including the repeatability of thermoelectric response after multiple thermal cycles and the drift rate during the high-temperature duration. The microstructure and electrical conductivity of both the as-deposited and post-annealed ceramic thin films were tested respectively. The result shows that the resitivity and Seebeck coefficient of the thin films annealed in nitrogen is reduced, but the stability at high temperature is greatly improved.

Thin films of solid electrolyte lithium sulfate deposited by e-beam evaporation

Fabrication of lithium sulfate (Li2SO4) thin films has been successfully attempted by the electron beam evaporation technique, and the deposition conditions were systematically optimized to get stable Li2SO4 thin films. The structural, optical, and electrical properties of the fabricated Li2SO4 thin films were investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, vibrational spectroscopy techniques, optical transmission spectroscopy, and electrical conductivity measurements. The as-deposited Li2SO4 thin films were X-ray amorphous, although they exhibited Bragg peaks corresponding to Li2SO4 when annealed. The fundamental vibrational modes of sulfate anions in thin films were observed through FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy studies. The ionic conductivity value for the thin film was found to be 2.03 × 10-8 S cm−1 at 373 K, which is of three orders of magnitude higher than that of the bulk.

Study on Texture Formation of Sb2Te Thin Films for Phase Change Memory Applications

We investigated the texture formation of Sb2Te thin films for phase change memory applications. The Sb2Te thin films with different thicknesses were deposited on Si (100) wafers by the magnetron sputtering method. As-deposited Sb2Te thin films were annealed at various temperatures and times. The texture characterization was performed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Experimental results show that the annealed Sb2Te thin films exhibit the 112¯0 and 101¯0 prismatic texture. The formation of prismatic texture is induced by the lattice strain, surface energy, and coarse grains, in which the lattice strain is the essential origin of prismatic preference. Electronic transport properties of Sb2Te thin films were monitored by a physical property measurement system (PPMS). It was found that the formation of prismatic texture promotes the increase of carrier mobility. The stability of the film–substrate interface was also assessed by calculating mismatch. The prismatic-preferred Sb2Te thin films exhibit higher mismatch with a silicon wafer, reducing the interface stability.

Electrodeposition of CdTe thin films using an acetate precursor for solar energy application: The effect of deposition voltage

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) thin films were synthesized using a low-cost two-electrode electrodeposition configuration in potentiostatic mode and from an aqueous acidic solution. More commonly used cadmium salts for electrodeposition of CdTe include CdSO4, CdCl2 and Cd (NO3)2. In the present work, a less commonly used salt, cadmium acetate, was used as a cadmium precursor for the growth of CdTe thin films. The thin films were deposited on a coated glass fluorine- doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates. The deposition voltage was varied from 1230 to 1270 mV with a 10 mV increment. The structure, optical, conductivity, surface morphological, elemental composition, and surface roughness properties of the as-deposited thin films were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–VIS spectrophotometry, Photoelectrochemical cell analysis (PEC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM), respectively. The XRD results showed that the CdTe thin films displayed a higher intensity at 1250 mV deposition voltage. UV–VIS spectroscopy measurements revealed that the band gap of the CdTe thin films was near that of the bulk CdTe at 1250 mV deposition voltage. The PEC measurement indicated that at a low voltage of 1230 mV, the conductivity of the film was p-type and Te-rich. When the deposition voltage was 1270 mV, the CdTe films became n-type and Cd-rich. EDS results confirmed the presence of both Cd and Te with more stoichiometric values at the growth voltage of 1250 mV. The SEM images showed that the surface morphology changed with deposition voltage. SPM results indicated that the highest average surface roughness value of 94.9 nm was obtained with a deposition voltage of 1250 mV. These results indicate that the film prepared at a deposition voltage of 1250 mV, may have better potential application as an absorber layer in solar cell device.

High Energy X-Ray Dosimetry Using (ZnO)0.2(TeO2)0.8 Thin Filmbased Real-time X-Ray Sensor

This study reports the dosimetric response of a (ZnO)0.2(TeO2)0.8 thin film sensor irradiated with high-energy X-ray radiation at various doses. The spray pyrolysis method was used for the film deposition on soda-lime glass substrate using zinc acetate dehydrate and tellurium dioxide powder as the starting precursors. The structural and morphological properties of the film were determined. The I-V characteristics measurements were performed during irradiation with a 6 MV X-ray beam from a Linac. The results revealed that the XRD pattern of the AS-deposited thin film is non-crystalline (amorphous) in nature. The FESEM image shows the non-uniform shape of nanoparticles agglomerated separately, and the EDX spectrum shows the presence of Te, Zn, and O in the film. The I-V characteristics measurements indicate that the current density increases linearly with X-ray doses (0-250 cGy) for all applied voltages (1-6 V). The sensitivity of the thin film sensor has been found to be in the range of 0.37-0.94 mA/cm2 /Gy. The current-voltage measurement test for fading normalised in percentage to day 0 was found in the order of day 0 > day 15 > day 30 > day 1 > day 2. These results are expected to be beneficial for fabricating cheap and practical X-ray sensors.

Light-Sensing Properties of Amorphous Vanadium Oxide Films Prepared by RF Sputtering.

In this study we analyzed the structure and light-sensing properties of as-deposited vanadium oxide thin films, prepared by RF sputtering in different Ar:O2 flow rate conditions, at low temperature (e.g., 65 °C). X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDX), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were employed to analyze the film microstructure, composition and the oxidation states of vanadium ions. The SEM micrographs evidence VxOy films with smooth surfaces, whereas the XRD patterns show their amorphous structure. Raman spectra indicate an increased structural disorder in the films deposited in Ar:O2 flow comparatively with those deposited solely in Ar flow. The XPS data suggest the modification of the oxidation state from V4+ to V5+, thus proving the formation of the V2O5 phase when increasing the oxygen content, which further affects the films' optical properties. We observed a good stability of the photogenerated current in Si/SiO2/VxOy/TiN heterostructures upon excitation with pulses of UV (360 nm), VIS (white light) and NIR (860 nm) light. The responsivity, detectivity and linear dynamic range parameters increase with the O/V ratio in the VxOy films, reaching comparable values with photodetectors based on crystalline V2O5 or VO2.

Enhancement of optical absorption and dispersion characteristics of nanocrystalline In2Se3 films: impact of γ-ray irradiation

Thermal evaporation was used to deposit In2Se3 thin films with a thickness of 276 nm on different glass and quartz substrates under vacuum. The 60Co rays were used to irradiate thin films at dosages of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50) kGy. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate the crystalline and morphological structure of In2Se3 thin films, respectively. The results revealed that powder has a polycrystalline structure, whereas pristine and irradiated thin films are amorphous. The computed absorption coefficient indicates that direct transition is allowed for the as-deposited and γ-irradiated thin films, and the value of the measured energy gaps increases when the dose is increased from 10 to 50 kGy. Using single-oscillator models to obtain the dispersion parameters, the spectral dependency of the refractive index in the higher wavelength area was studied. The effect of irradiation on dielectric constants and dispersion characteristics suggests that the examined films are highly sensitive to appropriate irradiation dose. The nonlinear optical susceptibility has improved, making it appropriate for a variety of device applications.

Demonstration of compensated n-type scandium nitride Schottky diodes

Scandium nitride (ScN) is an emerging group III-B transition metal pnictide and has been studied extensively for its thermoelectric properties, as interlayers for defect-free GaN growth, in epitaxial metal/semiconductor superlattices, and recently for its polaritonic and optoelectronic synaptic functionalities. However, to realize the full potential of its semiconducting properties in electronic, thermionic, and optoelectronic device applications, it is necessary to develop Schottky diodes of ScN that are missing thus far. Here we show Schottky diodes of ScN with elemental metals such as silver (Ag) and gold (Au). As-deposited ScN thin films exhibit a high electron concentration in the (1–4) × 1020 cm−3 range due to unintentional oxygen doping. These excess electrons are compensated by Mg hole doping, leading to a wider depletion region at the metal/ScN interface for activated electronic transport. Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics show the rectification nature in ScN/Ag and ScN/Au diodes, and the barrier heights of 0.55 ± 0.05 eV and 0.53 ± 0.06 eV, respectively, are obtained. Interface annealing with time and temperature results in a slight increase in the forward junction potential. The capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements also revealed the presence of interface trap states. The demonstration of Schottky diodes marks an important step in realizing the full potential of ScN in electronic, thermionic, and optoelectronic devices.

Characterization of Bi incorporated Sb2Se3 thin films deposited by arrested precipitation technique

Antimony bismuth selenide thin films (Sb2-xBixSe3), with x varying from 0.00 to 0.10, have been deposited on glass substrate using the arrested precipitation technique (APT). The preparative parameters such as temperature, concentration, and pH have been optimized in order to deposit Sb2-xBixSe3 thin films. The as-deposited Sb2-xBixSe3 thin films are specularly reflective and orange in colour. The films were characterized by optical absorption, x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDS) studies. An analysis of the optical absorption data of the as-deposited films revealed an indirect transition with the estimation of the corresponding band gap value.

Tunability of nonlinear optical properties of amorphous Cu–Al–O films induced by thermal oxidation

A series of Cu–Al–O thin films with excellent nonlinear absorption properties were prepared by magnetron sputtering at room temperature. An absorption peak at around 440 nm was observed in the as-deposited thin films, with CuAlO2 as the main phase. After thermal oxidation at 400 °C, the surface roughness of the films decreased, the absorption peak was blue-shifted, with the optical band gap increased. Open aperture Z-scan measurements revealed that the as-deposited samples had strong saturable absorption and reached the maximum nonlinear absorption coefficient (β) of −6.29 × 10−5 cm/W. The nonlinear optical conversion from saturable absorption to reverse saturable absorption was observed in as-annealed samples with β values up to 2.592 × 10−5 cm/W. In addition, the time-domain finite-difference simulation results were basically consistent with those of the experimental results.

P-type (CuTi)Ox Thin Films Deposited by Magnetron Co-Sputtering and Their Electronic and Hydrogen Sensing Properties

Thin films of copper oxide (CuxO), titanium oxide (TiOx), and several mixtures of copper and titanium oxides ((CuTi)Ox) were deposited using magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction analysis of the as-deposited TiOx thin film revealed the presence of TiO crystallites, while in the case of (CuTi)Ox with the lowest amount of copper, metallic Cu crystallites were found. In the case of (Cu0.77Ti0.23)Ox and CuxO thin films, characteristic peaks for metallic copper and copper oxides were observed in their diffractograms. It was found that post-process annealing at 473 K considerably affects the microstructure of (CuTi)Ox thin films. After annealing, anatase phase was observed in (Cu0.23Ti0.77)Ox and (Cu0.41Ti0.59)Ox thin films. In turn, the (Cu0.77Ti0.23)Ox and CuxO films were formed only in the copper oxide phase. The (Cu0.77Ti0.23)Ox film annealed at 473 K showed the best opto-electronic performance, as it had the highest transmission and the lowest resistivity. However, the greatest advantage of this thin film was the p-type semiconducting behavior, which was the strongest of all of the thin films in this work, as indicated by the measurement of the Seebeck coefficient. All deposited thin films were sensitive to hydrogen exposure, while the best sensor response of 10.9 was observed for the (Cu0.77Ti0.23) Ox thin film annealed at 473 K.

Solar photocatalytic performance of glass substrates coated with Ag3PO4 thin films

Silver-orthophosphate (Ag3PO4) photocatalysts exhibit excellent photo-oxidative capabilities under visible light irradiation, especially in their powders form. However, Ag3PO4 in the form of thin films has not been explored that much and very little is known about their performance under solar irradiation. In the present study, glass substrates were coated with Cu-doped Ag3PO4 (Cu-Ag3PO4) and Ag3PO4 thin films using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) due to its simplicity, relatively low-cost and ability to be performed at low temperatures with low time requirements. The as-deposited thin films were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and UV–Visible spectrophotometry, while their photocatalytic performances were evaluated on Rhodamine-B (Rh-B) dye degradation under real solar light irradiation. The adopted coating protocol resulted in regular thin films that crystallize in the desired P4̅3n cubic phase, where doping with Cu was shown to be responsible of a crystallite size reduction within the film. From the optical point of view, a broad absorbance in the entire visible range was obtained with bandgap energies of about 2.2 eV in the case of Ag3PO4 thin films, and around 1.65 eV in the case of Cu-Ag3PO4 thin films. Such optical features were exploited to test the photocatalytic performance in the degradation of Rh-B dye. After 4 h of solar irradiation, the variation of the relative concentration of Rh-B solution relative to the degradation efficiency of the photocatalysts was of 54% in the case of Cu-Ag3PO4 thin films and of 89% in the case of Ag3PO4 thin films. So, exploration of a wide area of the solar visible spectrum is made possible under doping, a finding that would improve the overall photocatalytic activity which is very promising for the degradation of other organic pollutants under solar irradiation.

Improving the microstructure and properties of PZT thin films via annealing prepared by RF magnetron sputtering using Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 target

PZT thin films are one of the most effective materials attractive for MEMs applications. In this research, high-quality PZT thin films were deposited on (111)Pt/Ti/SiO2/(100)Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering from a Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 ceramic target. The sputtered PZT films with deposition times of 90 min–180 min were annealed at different temperatures; 550°C-700 °C. The results indicated that the film's crystallinity, density, and morphology were affected by the sputtering time and the annealing conditions due to grain growth. Post-annealing improved the microstructure and properties of PZT thin films. The increase in annealing temperatures virtually caused the decrease of PZT thin-film thickness. Densification and PZT grain size were found to increase with increasing annealing temperatures. The XRD and SEM results demonstrated that the PZT thin films were well-crystallized and contained a uniform grain distribution. With sputtered time of 90 min, 120 min, 150 min, and 180 min, the thickness of PZT thin films were 168 nm, 228 nm, 266 nm, and 275 nm, respectively. WDS results showed that the atomic percentages of zirconium content decreased by increasing annealing temperature. At the 180 min-sputtered time, the remaining lead content after annealing temperatures of 550°C–700 °C showed an estimated 1.0 at%. Increased annealing temperatures affected significantly lead loss due to volatilization. The surface roughness was confirmed by AFM analysis of the proposed systems. The roughness values of films increased from 1.28 nm to 4.25 nm with increasing annealing temperature. The dielectric functions (ε1) and (ε2) of sputtered PZT thin films at different annealed temperature and different thicknessess were analyzed by Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE). The (ε1) and (ε2) of as-deposited PZT thin film showed different dispersion shapes, and (ε2) amplitude was shifted to the lower photon energy in comparison with annealed PZT thin films, which can correspond to differences in the crystal structure.

The influence of different complexing agents on the properties of tin dioxide (SnO2) deposited thin films through chemical bath approach

The present study explores the effect of disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid and triethanolamine as alternative complexing agents to synthesize SnO2 thin films by employing simplistic chemical bath deposition method. The as-deposited tin dioxide thin films have been characterized by various analytical techniques particularly X-rays diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), and Raman spectroscopy. The XRD and Raman spectroscopy reveal the crystalline nature pertaining small crystal grains of the as-deposited SnO2 thin films with a tetragonal rutile structure. The SEM analysis unfolds that as-synthesized thin films using disodium ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid and triethanolamine, the grains of the films exhibit different shapes. The bandgap energies of the films have been estimated from the absorbance spectra through Tauc plot and the respective optical band gap of SnO2-EDTA and SnO2 -TEA exhibits the values as ∼4.2 eV and ∼3.8 eV, respectively. These findings suggest as-deposited tin dioxide thin films to be pertinent for use in solar radiation absorption applications.

Structure and electrochromic properties of WO3 thin films by direct current, pulsed direct current, and radio frequency magnetron sputtering from metallic and ceramic targets

The structure, morphology, and electrochromic properties of sputtered-WO3 thin films from ceramic and metallic targets were investigated. The films were produced using different types of power sources, namely, direct current (DC), pulsed DC, and radio frequency (RF) generators. Highly transparent as-deposited WO3 thin films grown at room temperature using each target changed to dark blue upon introduction of an electric field in electrolyte regardless of types of sputtering power. WO3 films obtained by sputtering the ceramic target using a pulsed DC power exhibited a large transmittance difference of 97.5% and high coloration efficiency of 55.2 cm2/C compared to the films using DC and RF powers, these films had higher response speeds and stable transmittance modulation after long-term cycle tests. WO3 thin films produced by sputtering a metallic tungsten target showed enhanced electrochromic performance when grown under DC power and a coloration efficiency of 69.1 cm2/C due to their porous microstructure. This article presents methods for the fabrication of low-cost and large-scale oxide electronic devices for various applications, such as electrochromic displays, that can be applied for mass production.

Structural and Oxidation Behavior of Nanocomposite TiCrN Thin Films

The structural and oxidation behavior of nanocomposite titanium chromium nitride (TiCrN) thin films has been investigated by using x-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The TiCrN thin films were deposited on Si substrates by using the reactive DC magnetron sputtering technique from the Ti-Cr mosaic target. After that, the as-deposited thin films were annealed in the air at 500 - 900°C for 2 h. The XRD results showed that the formation oxidation of anataseTiO2, rutile-TiO2, and Cr2O3 which diffraction peak appear from 500°C. The relative intensity of these oxide peaks varied with the annealed temperatures. By observing from FE-SEM, the aggregation of the grain increased with the annealing temperature. The cross-sectional results showed that the thin dense oxide overlayer occurred at 700°C and the oxide thickness increased gradually with the annealing temperature. Meanwhile, underneath the TiCrN grain grew above 700°C and become more void structure after annealing at 700°C. The dramatically increase of the oxygen content was found at 700°C and the evolution of Ti, Cr, N, and O with different elements compositions at various annealing temperatures were investigated from the EDS technique. The oxide layer obviously grows inward indicating the oxidation of TiCrN thin films belongs to inward oxidation. The oxidation rate of the films was increased with the increase of annealing temperature. The activation energy of the oxidation as evaluated by the Arrhenius-type relation was 168 kJ/mol.

Structural, Electrical and Optical Properties of Mg-Ni Thin Films for Hydrogen Storage Applications

Using the magnetron sputtering technique, Mg-Ni (150nm) bilayer thin films were deposited onto the simple, and ITO coated glass substrates. To obtain proper mixing and inter diffusion of thin film structure, annealing of the prepared thin films was made at constant temperature 523 K. The surface morphology of thin films confirms the uniform deposition of the Mg-Ni thin films on substrates. The Raman spectroscopy of thin films shows that the intensity of Raman peaks is decreased as the hydrogen pressure increases and variation in the intensity peak confirms the existence of hydrogen in the prepared film. The d.c. conductivity of thin films were observed at different hydrogen pressure (10 - 40 psi) for both the as-deposited and annealed thin films and the variation in the conductivity after hydrogenation was found out. In Uv-Vis spectroscopy, it was found that the optical bandgap of thin films increases with the increase of hydrogen pressure. The deviations in the structural, electrical and optical properties after hydrogenation indicate that Mg-Ni thin films may be used for solid state hydrogen storage applications. HIGHLIGHTS Preparation of Mg-Ni bilayer thin films using magnetron sputtering technique Finding the opportunity to use Mg-Ni bilayer thin film as solid-state hydrogen storage materials Raman spectroscopy for confirming the presence of hydrogen in Mg-Ni bilayer thin films Effect of hydrogen on conductivity and optical energy bandgap of Mg-Ni bilayer thin films GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

A Study of the Structural and Surface Morphology and Photoluminescence of Ni-Doped AlN Thin Films Grown by Co-Sputtering.

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a semiconductor material possessing a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure with a large band gap of 6.2 eV. AlN thin films have several potential applications and areas for study, particularly in optoelectronics. This research study focused on the preparation of Ni-doped AlN thin films by using DC and RF magnetron sputtering for optoelectronic applications. Additionally, a comparative analysis was also carried out on the as-deposited and annealed thin films. Several spectroscopy and microscopy techniques were considered for the characterization of structural (X-ray diffraction), morphological (SEM), chemical bonding (FTIR), and emission (PL spectroscopy) properties. The XRD results show that the thin films have an oriented c-axis hexagonal structure. SEM analysis validated the granular-like morphology of the deposited sample, and FTIR results confirm the presence of chemical bonding in deposited thin films. The photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra exhibit different peaks in the visible region when excited at different wavelengths. A sharp and intense photoluminescence peak was observed at 426 nm in the violet-blue region, which can be attributed to inter-band transitions due to the incorporation of Ni in AlN. Most of the peaks in the PL spectra occurred due to direct-band recombination and indirect impurity-band recombination. After annealing, the intensity of all observed peaks increases drastically due to the development of new phases, resulting in a decrease in defects and a corresponding increase in the crystallinity of the thin film. The observed structural, morphological, and photoluminescence results suggest that Ni: AlN is a promising candidate to be used in optoelectronics applications, specifically in photovoltaic devices and lasers.