Summary An array of Gold (Au) schottky contacts have been deposited on RF Sputtered nanocrystalline Zinc Oxide thin film. A systematic analysis on the electrical parameters of the Schottky diode with the help of current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance-voltage (C–V) measurements has been done, which confirmed its excellent rectifying characteristics. To incorporate the influence of series resistance in the determination of Schottky diode parameters (barrier height, ideality factor and saturation current), Cheung's method along with thermionic emission model has also used. The discrepancy in the value of barrier height determined from C–V characteristics throws light into the presence of interface states.