Surface Of ZnO Thin Films Research Articles

Effects of Pt doping on surface properties and quenching of band edge emission in ZnO

Pt doped ZnO thin films were synthesized on soda-lime glass substrates using a cost-effective sol-gel method, followed by spin coating and thermal annealing at various temperatures. Several characterization techniques such as UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are exploited to investigate the Pt doping effects on surface and optical properties of ZnO thin films. UV–Vis analysis demonstrated a slight decrease in the optical band gap from 3.3 eV to 3.2 eV with increased annealing, indicating enhanced suitability for optoelectronic applications. FESEM imaging revealed distinct worm-like structures and small Pt metal nanoparticles in unannealed samples, while thermal treatment supported the formation of spherical Pt nanoparticles and improved conductive pathways in the films. The Wagner diagram, coupled with Auger line transitions from XPS, quantified the oxidation states and chemical environments of Zn and Pt, respectively. Notably, the observed changes in the binding energy of the Zn-2p junction and the kinetic energy of the Zn-LMM Auger junction were significantly influenced by the Pt doping and the electronic properties of the substrate. The Wagner diagram provided a comprehensive visual representation of the parameters, facilitating a deeper understanding of electronic interactions and structural dynamics at the atomic level. XPS results confirmed the presence of ZnO, Zn(OH)2, Pt0 and PtO2 phases, indicating stability and constutient's interactions. ToF-SIMS also validated the uniform distribution of Pt nanoparticles within the ZnO thin film, confirming the effectiveness of the sol-gel method. As a result of Pt doping, PL studies revealed a large quenching effect on band edge emission in the UV and visible emission region of ZnO thin film, which is due to Pt acting as a recombination center for photogenerated carriers. Overall, our results highlight the influence of annealing and Pt incorporation on the optical and structural properties of ZnO thin films and highlight their potential applications for photonics and catalysis.

Investigation of the microstructural, surface, and optical properties of WO3-doped ZnO thin films

The paper investigates the microstructural characteristics, surface features, and optical properties of WO3-doped ZnO thin film. The deposited samples exhibit polycrystalline characteristics, with reflections corresponding to bimetal oxides and metals. Specifically, ZnO shows (101) and (200) reflections, while (400) reflections are observed in the WO3 phase of the deposited sample. The crystallite sizes of the ZnO metal oxide phase in the film are 85 nm and 55 nm, while the crystallite size of the Zn nanoparticles is found to be 47 nm. The atomic concentrations of W and Zn are 53.4 % and 46.6 % for films deposited on uncoated glass, and 41.2 % and 58.8 %, for films deposited onto ITO-coated glass, respectively. An optical band gap value of 3.40 eV was obtained for both films. It was found that certain properties remain relatively unchanged despite variations in the substrate.

Optical Characterization of Ferric-Doped ZnO Thin Film Deposited By Chemical Bath Deposition Method

Fe-doped ZnO holds numerous potential uses in devices such as UV light emitters, piezoelectric transducers, transparent electronics in solar cells, and bright windows as an II-VI semiconductor material. This study looked into the band gap, surface characteristics, optical transmittance, and absorbance of ZnO thin films with Fe doping in different pH conditions such as 8, 9, and 10. The films were prepared using the chemical bath deposition (CBD) method at 350 °C on a glass substrate. The samples were characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images of the undoped samples exhibited a lack of cracks, but the doped samples displayed visible cracks due to the presence of Fe in the films. ZnO thin-film surface shape is altered by pH and Fe doping variations. There is a tendency for the films' visual transmission to decrease when the pH rises. The absorbance for all samples increases in the UV and declines in the visible. Fe doping causes the optical band gap Eg to drop. The band gap of both doped and undoped samples reduces when pH rises.

Improved Physical Properties of Green Fabricated ZnO Thin Films by Annealing Temperature

AbstractZnO thin films were prepared by sol‐gel spin coating on a glass substrate via green synthesis using Uncaria gambir leaf extract. The deposited films were characterized for structural, morphological, and optical properties at various annealing temperatures (400, 500, and 600 °C). The ZnO film without annealing shows an amorphous structure, and after annealing, it shows a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a dominant (101) peak. The crystallinity of the films increases up to 500 °C. The crystallite size shows a maximum value (27 nm) at 500 °C. Also, a flat, smooth, uniform wrinkle and the homogenous surface of ZnO thin films are shown at 500 °C. The gambir extract prevents the segregation of crystallites until 500 °C. The transparency was over 80 % in the visual region for all annealed films, and the energy bandgap decreased to 3.81 eV with increasing the annealing temperature up to 500 °C.

Interface modification of MoS2/ZnO heterojunction for controllable electron flow and fabrication of high-performance UV photodetectors with fast response/recovery speed

Hetero-structured thin films, MoS2/ZnO thin films, were fabricated by adding MoS2 films under the ZnO thin films via sol-gel spin-coating method; ZnO nanoparticles were observed on the surface of sol-gel spin-coated ZnO thin films. Although ZnO nanoparticles were observed on the surface of hetero-structured thin films, the surface area of the hetero-structured thin films was higher than ZnO thin films owing to the high surface roughness of the MoS2 films. Three diffraction peaks were observed in the hetero-structured thin films at 31.74°, 34.38°, and 36.22°, which indicates heterostructure was polycrystalline, and the heterostructure was formed successfully. When the UV photodetector was fabricated by using hetero-structured thin films, the enhanced values of photocurrent, photoresponsivity and photosensitivity were observed. In addition, the hetero-structured thin films exhibited a faster response/recovery speed because the move of electrons and holes during UV illumination. Thus, it was concluded that the interface modification of the MoS2/ZnO heterojunction is an effective solution for overcoming the drawbacks of ZnO-based UV photodetectors. This approach can be considered a novel method for high-performance optoelectronics with fast response speed applicable to various fields.

Spray deposited carbon nanotube embedded ZnO as an electrons transport layer in inverted organic solar cells

In this report, the synthesis and characterization of ZnO and carbon nanotube (CNT) embedded ZnO composite thin films are presented. The obtained ZnO and CNT composite ZnO thin films are used as an electron transport layer (ETL) for bulk heterojunction (BHJ) inverted organic solar cell (IOSC) with the architecture of ITO/ZnO:CNT/PTB7:PC71BM/MoO3/Ag. Both ZnO and CNT composite ZnO thin films exhibited a highly preferred c-axis oriented (002) diffraction peak and the peak position is shifted toward a lower angle after embedding CNT into the ZnO matrix. The transmittance slightly decreases after CNT is embedded into the ZnO matrix. Completely wrapped CNT with the ZnO was confirmed by Scanning electron microscope (SEM) measurement. The resistivity of ZnO decreased from 2.02 × 10−2 to 5.61 × 10−3 Ω-cm and mobility increased from 4.30 to 15.24 cm2/V-s after adding CNT into the ZnO matrix. CNT composite ZnO thin film surface is found to be hydrophobic, providing good interfacial contact with the BHJ layer resulting to improve fill factor (FF) of IOSC. The performance of IOSC with CNT composite ZnO ETL layer was significantly improved with a power conversion efficiency of 6.76%, open circuit voltage (VOC) of 700 mV, short circuit current density (JSC) of 20.05 mA/cm2 and FF of 48.17%, respectively.

Effect of Au Doping on ZnO Nanoporous Structure for H2S Gas Sensing

This research mainly constitutes the fabrication of semiconductor gas sensors using high Power pulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) technology to deposit ZnO thin films. As a doping substance, different thicknesses of gold plating is deposited on the surface of ZnO thin films. Various thicknesses of gold used in the study are 3.3 nm, 6.6 nm, 10 nm, 13.3 nm and 16.6 nm. The structural properties of thin films were identified by X-ray- diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). EDS analysis conveyed that gold particles filled the pores of nanoporous ZnO structures, which increased the films surface area and enhancing the gas sensing response. Various concentrations of H2S gas is used to test the gas sensing properties and the results proved the Au doped ZnO thin film sensor has enhanced sensing than the pure ZnO thin film sensor. 10 nm thickness doped Au has prime sensing properties with the operating temperature of 300 °C. Other sensing properties such as repeatability, selectivity and effect of humidity are tested and presented the data which shows the Au doping ZnO superiority over pure ZnO thin films.

Evaluation of the Structural, Optical and Photoconversion Efficiency of ZnO Thin Films Prepared Using Aerosol Deposition

As compared to other deposition techniques such as atomic layer deposition, chemical vapour deposition and sputtering, aerosol deposition (AD) is a simple and cost-effective technique to produce ZnO thin films. In this work, the effect of deposition cycles on the structural, optical, and photo-conversion efficiency (PCE) of dye sensitized solar cells of ZnO thin films deposited by AD (AZ) was systematically studied. The structural, optical, and PCE% of two-cycle deposited ZnO thin film (AZ-II) exhibited the highest performance. Further increment in deposition cycle caused deterioration in the structural, optical, and PCE performance. The thickness of ZnO thin films decreased due to abrasion of the deposited film by the subsequent stream of highly energetic ZnO particles. Loosely bound particles could be found on the surface of ZnO thin film after three deposition cycles (AZ-III). The AZ-III films exhibited poor crystal quality, with many crystal defects such as interstitial oxygen as suggested in room temperature photoluminescence analysis.

Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue at nanostructured ZnO thin films

The photocatalytic degradation of the wastewater dye pollutant methylene blue (MB) at ZnO nanostructured porous thin films, deposited by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering on Si substrates, was studied. It was observed that over 4 photocatalytic cycles (0.3 mg · l−1 MB solution, 540 minUV irradiation), the rate constant k of MB degradation decreased by ∼50%, varying in the range (1.54 ÷ 0.78) · 10–9 (mol·l−1·min−1). For a deeper analysis of the photodegradation mechanism, detailed information on the nanostructured ZnO surface morphology and local surface and subsurface chemistry (nonstoichiometry) were obtained by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as complementary analytical methods. The SEM studies revealed that at the surface of the nanostructured ZnO thin films a coral reef structure containing polycrystalline coral dendrites is present, and that, after the photocatalytic experiments, the sizes of individual crystallites increased, varying in the range 43 ÷ 76 nm for the longer axis, and in the range 28 ÷ 58 nm for the shorter axis. In turn, the XPS studies showed a slight non-stoichiometry, mainly defined by the relative [O]/[Zn] concentration of ca. 1.4, whereas [C]/[Zn] was ca. 1.2, both before and after the photocatalytic experiments. This phenomenon was directly related to the presence of superficial ZnO lattice oxygen atoms that can participate in the oxidation of the adsorbed MB molecules, as well as to the presence of surface hydroxyl groups acting as hole-acceptors to produce OH· radicals, which can be responsible for the generation of superoxide ions. In addition, after experiments, the XPS measurements revealed the presence of carboxyl and carbonyl functional groups, ascribable to the oxidation by-products formed during the photodegradation of MB.

Investigation of optical, structural, and electrical properties of heterostructure Fe2O3 deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on ZnO layer by spray pyrolysis

In this study, firstly, ZnO thin film was produced on glass substrate by chemical spray pyrolysis method at 450 °C and then Fe2O3 layer was produced on ZnO substrate thin film by RF magnetron sputtering technique. Fe2O3/ZnO heterostructure was fabricated. The crystal structure, surface morphology and structure, chemical composition, optical and electronic properties, and electric properties of the ZnO and Fe2O3/ZnO samples were performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometer, field emission scanning electron microscope (SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) microscope, atomic force microscope (AFM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer (UV–VIS), and Hall measurements, respectively. XRD and Raman measurements showed that ZnO and Fe2O3 thin films have wurtzite hexagonal and cubic crystal structures, respectively, and both are in polycrystalline form. FE-SEM and cross-sectional FIB-SEM images indicate that Fe2O3 flake-like nano-sized structures are formed on the ZnO substrate. In addition, AFM images revealed that the Fe2O3 nano-sized structure was distributed as nanosheets on the ZnO thin-film surface. UV–VIS measurements of ZnO revealed that the ZnO and Fe2O3/ZnO heterostructure band gap energies were 3.277 eV and 3.24 eV, respectively. Finally, the calculated values of electric conductivity, σ, electron density, n, and electron mobility, μ, using the data obtained from Hall measurements are 4.39 × 102 Ω−1 m−1, 6.88 × 1021 m−3, and 3.99 × 10–1 V−1m2s, respectively.

Morphology Influence on Wettability and Wetting Dynamics of ZnO Nanostructure Arrays

Abstract Changes in nanostructure morphology and size may result in very different surface wettability. In this research, the impact of different morphological parameters on the wetting dynamics of ZnO nanostructured layers is studied. Six different morphologies are chosen to determine the specific wetting processes of ZnO nanostructures: nanoneedles, small diameter rods, large diameter rods, nanotubes, nanoplates, and plain thin films. Wetting dynamics is investigated using conventional sessile drop technique and a novel approach based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show that the surface of nanostructured ZnO thin films exhibits both hydrophilic and hydrophobic wetting behaviour, depending on nanostructure form, size, and orientation. ZnO nanostructure arrays are a promising platform for electrochemical and optical sensing in aqueous solutions. The full and effective use of the sensor working surface can be ensured only under the condition of complete wetting of the nanostructured layer. Therefore, it is important to take into account the peculiarities of the wetting process of a specific morphology of nanostructures.

Multifractal analysis of Mg-doped ZnO thin films deposited by sol-gel spin coating method.

A multifractal analysis has been performed on the 3D (three-dimensional) surface microtexture of magnesium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Mg) thin films with doping concentration of 0, 2, 4, and 5%. Thin films were deposited onto the glass substrates via the sol-gel spin coating method. The effect of magnesium doping, on the crystal structure, morphology, and band gap for ZnO:Mg thin films has been analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. It has been observed that the surface of ZnO thin films is multifractal in nature. However, multifractality and complexity observed to decrease with increasing content of Mg in ZnO thin films due to formation of islands on the surface in accordance with Volmer-Weber growth mechanism. The investigations revealed that crystallinity, microtexture, morphology, and optical properties of the thin films can be tuned by controlling the Mg content within the ZnO lattice. In particular, their optical band gap energies were 3.27, 3.31, 3.34, and 3.33 eV at 0, 2, 4, and 5%, respectively. The prepared thin films of ZnO:Mg with tuned characteristics would have promising applications in optoelectronic devices.

Studies on the surface and optical properties of Ta-doped ZnO thin films deposited by thermionic vacuum arc

In this research, Ta doped ZnO thin films have been deposited onto glass and Si substrates by Thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) thin film deposition system. TVA is an anodic plasma thin film deposition system and it is used to relatively high-quality thin films deposition. ZnO thin films have direct optical band gap of 3.37 eV. Tantalum is an efficient higher-valance element. Ta atom gives the more electrons compared to Zinc atom and their ionic radius are very close to each other, so substituted element does not bring into additional stress in crystal network. The deposited thin films were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, UV–Vis spectrophotometry and interferometer. To change the band gap properties of the ZnO thin film, Ta doping was used and band gap of Ta doped ZnO thin film was obtained 3.1 eV by Tauc’s method. The wt% ratios for Zn/Ta were calculated as 0.45 and 0.42 for the films deposited onto glass and Si substrates, respectively. Crystallite sizes of Ta doped ZnO thin film was decreased by changing substrate material. To the best of our knowledge, substituted Ta elements connected to the oxygen atom in crystal network and orthorhombic β′-Ta2O5 were detected in the all films structure. Their band gaps of the β′-Ta2O5 were measured as 2.70 eV and 2.60 eV for Ta-doped ZnO thin films deposited onto glass and Si substrates, respectively. Up to day, the band gap of the β′-Ta2O5 was calculated by density function theory. According to results, β′-Ta2O5 structure was found as embedded from in the ZnO crystal network.

Fabrication of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) Using Mg-Doped ZnO as Photoanode and Extract of Rose Myrtle (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa) as Natural Dye

A dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) device using Mg-doped Zn thin films as photoanode and fruit extract of rose myrtle (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa) as the natural dye was investigated. The effect of annealing temperature (400-550°C) on the films of photoanode was systematically studied using an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), UV-Visible Near Infrared (UV-Vis NIR) Spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). XRD confirm that all sample has the wurtzite hexagonal with crystallite size of 25 nm. The SEM images reveal particles on the surface of the Mg-doped ZnO thin film of irregular shapes. Increasing the annealing temperature leads to a larger particle size and slightly increases bandgap energy. The dye sensitizer of extracted rose myrtle (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa) has a strong absorption at the visible light region. The maximum efficiency of the DSSC device is 3.53% with Mg-ZnO photoanode annealed at 500°C.

Investigation of Schottky barrier height using area as parameter: Effect of hydrogen peroxide treatment on electrical optical properties of Schottky diode

RF sputtered 25 nm ZnO thin film surface treated with H2O2 has produced the Schottky diodes of improved electrical and optical properties. The enhancement is associated with adsorbed and introduced oxygen at the film's surface and in bulk while H2O2 treatment as revealed by the XPS analysis. Further, H2O2 treatment also has improved the ZnO thin film's surface morphology, crystal structure, and optical properties studied by XRD, SEM, and PL measurement. The experimentally measured energy band gap is compared with density functional theory computation-based result to find the possible cause behind the change in edge excitation energy band after treatment. Besides, an alternative method by considering the Schottky diode area as a parameter is introduced to calculate barrier height. The five diodes average barrier height, calculated by the conventional Schottky model, was lower than the barrier height obtained by this proposed method. This result is obtained for the diodes fabricated on the nontreated and treated sample. The conventional and proposed methods showed Schottky diodes potential barrier lowering under UV illumination, and it was associated with the change in carrier density and desorption of adsorbed oxygen on the ZnO surface. The treated surface's low conductivity and high oxygen concentration governed the superior UV detection capability of Schottky diodes fabricated on it. The literature demonstrates many similar studies for large thicknesses of ZnO 150–1000 nm but not on ultra-thin (25 nm) ZnO film, even though the UV light can penetrate ZnO approximately to this depth.

Optimization of sol–gel based ZnO metal–semiconductor–metal UV detectors by Zr doping through sputtering method

In this study, to improve the properties of ZnO-based metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) UV detectors, the surface of ZnO thin films prepared by the sol–gel method is initially doped with Zr sputtering at different time intervals. The amount of Zr at the surface and its effect on the crystalline structure and the surface morphology are, respectively, evaluated through energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Then, by creating electrodes on the surface, these layers are converted to MSM UV detectors and subjected to various sensor tests to assess their performance. The results of these tests show that the sensors, which are sputtered with Zr for 50 s under the experimental conditions in question, experience an increase in the photoresponsivity by about one order of magnitude while their rise time and recovery time decrease about 30%. Furthermore, the best repeatability of I–t curves and baseline stability in consecutive cycles are also related to these sensors. The experience also indicates that the use of sputtering method can be seriously considered to modify the surface of nanostructures used in the construction of sensors. This makes perfect sense because the surface plays a major role in the detection mechanisms in most light and gas sensors. It is noteworthy that this method can be used even to modify the properties of pre-made detectors.

Crystallization of ZnO thin films via thermal dissipation annealing method for high-performance UV photodetector with ultrahigh response speed

ZnO-based ultraviolet (UV) photodetector can be easily fabricated by using sol–gel spin-coating method, however, the crystallization of amorphous state ZnO thin films is necessary to fabricate high performance UV photodetector. Thus, we devised a thermal dissipation annealing (TDA) method in which the heat transfer to the ZnO thin films can be synchronized with the heat release from the substrate. It was found that sol–gel spin-coated ZnO thin films can be crystallized through the mobility difference of ZnO molecules placed at the surface of ZnO thin films. Also, UV photodetector based on ZnO thin films annealed with the TDA method exhibited faster rise and decay time constant (τr = 35 ms and τd = 73 ms, respectively), a higher on/off current ratio, and reproducible photocurrent characteristics compared to that of the ZnO thin films annealed by using furnace and IR lamp. Therefore, these results indicated that the TDA method is a feasible alternative route for the fabrication of ZnO based high performance optoelectronic devices.

Anomalous photoconductivity in chemical spray pyrolysis deposited nano-crystalline ZnO thin films

Nano-crystalline ZnO thin films were deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis technique by maintaining the substrate at a temperature of 493 K. Structural characterization using XRD analysis identified the preferential orientation of the deposited films to be along the (002) plane. Photoluminescence studies showed emissions at 381 nm, 395 nm and 469 nm from the samples. The samples under halogen illumination in ambient condition exhibited a photosensitivity of ∼ 106. Under the same illumination pulse width and intensity in vacuum condition of 5x 10−5 T, the photosensitivity was an order higher ∼ 107. The photo response of the films to UV illumination under vacuum condition showed persistent photoconductivity, whereas under air ambient showed an anomalous behaviour of decrease of photocurrent under continuous illumination. We model the anomalous behaviour based on the mechanism of oxygen absorption and desorption from the surface of the nano-crystalline ZnO thin film. The dual photoconduction exhibited by our ZnO thin films can help multi-functional applications in artificial intelligence.

Preparation and optical properties of W-doped VO2/AZO bilayer composite film

In order to improve its visible light transmittance, W-doped VO2 thin film was prepared with direct current (DC) reactive magnetron sputtering on the surface of Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin film deposited on quartz glass substrate in advance with radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. The effects of sputtering power for AZO film were investigated on the crystal structures, surface morphologies and optical properties of AZO thin film and W-doped VO2/AZO bilayer composite film. The results show that the crystallinity of both AZO monolayer film and the bilayer film first increases and then decreases with the increase of sputtering power. As the sputtering power increases, the film thickness increases. The integral visible luminous transmittance (Tlum) of the W-doped VO2/AZO bilayer film decreases continuously, and the solar modulation efficiency (ΔTsol) increases first and then decreases. When the sputtering power is 150 W, Tlum and ΔTsol of W-doped VO2/AZO bilayer film are 30.14% and 11.95%, 2.77% and 1.71% higher than those of W-doped VO2 monolayer film, respectively.

Assessment of fractal and multifractal features of sol-gel spin coated ZnO thin film surface

Scaling property of the atomic force microscopic (AFM) images of the annealed sol-gel spin coated ZnO thin film at different scales along with the glass substrate has been studied explicitly using fractal and multifractal formalism. Accordingly, the thin film surface growth and roughening are discussed. Polycrystalline Hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferential c-axis orientation and very little microcrystalline stress have been found from the glancing angle x-ray diffraction (GAXRD) pattern analysis of the annealed ZnO film on Glass substrate. Presence of statistical self-similarity in the surface micrographs is realized. Consequently, the fractal dimensions and Hurst exponents have been computed using the Higuchi’s algorithm and the correlation properties of the surfaces are quantified by these parameters. Values of the Hurst exponent indicate that the nature of overall surface growth is anti-correlated or anti-persistent, and while zoomed first it appears random or Brownian, having no ultimate correlation then seems to be positively correlated while further zoomed. The height and width of the singularity spectrum computed using box-counting multifractal formalism can quantify surface complexity both vertically and spatially. The multifractal analysis illustrates that the larger scan sized images have less overall surface complexity. Also, the multifractal parameters are found to be more universal than any other surface complexity measuring parameters. The fractal and multifractal behavior of both the glass substrate and the ZnO film on it reveal that the surface complexity of the ZnO thin film is originated from the complexity of the glass substrate. Furthermore, it has been understood that the proper choice of scan size is necessary to assess the actual complexity of a rough surface. Further investigation of the fractal and multifractal character of residual surface micrographs by varying various deposition conditions in sol-gel derived films could depict film growth and roughening mechanism in a scale-independent, precise, complete and generalized manner by avoiding an excessive number of parameters in conventional roughness and symmetry analysis methods.