A Study on Effect of Sol Aging Time on Optical Properties of ZnO Thin Films: Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Method

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ehsan Motallebi Aghkonbad ◽  
Maryam Motallebi Aghgonbad ◽  
Hassan Sedghi

Background: Due to wide band gap and large excitonic binding energy, being inexpensive, abundance in nature and easy synthesis ZnO is a promising candidate in many applications such as solar cells. Experimental: In the current work a series of ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates using sol-gel method to investigate the change in optical behavior of the film with sol aging time (asprepared, 8, 16, 24 and 32 hours) and the annealing temperature (300ᵒC and 500ᵒC). The optical properties of thin films were explored using spectroscopic ellipsometry method including the real and imaginary part of refractive index, real and imaginary part of dielectric function and band gap energy of the layers in the 300-900 nanometer wavelength range. Results: It can be deduced from the results that sol aging time and annealing temperature, affect the optical properties of the samples. Using single oscillator energy model of Wemple and Di Domenico parameters such as free charge carrier concentration ratio to effective mass, and plasma frequency, were calculated. Conclusion: The films prepared using 24 h aged solution, had the highest transmittance and the largest band gap energy.

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (01) ◽  
pp. 1850013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Motallebi Aghgonbad ◽  
Hassan Sedghi

In the present work, pure and Fe-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by sol–gel method. Zinc acetate and iron nitrate were used as the starting material and dopant source, respectively. The concentration of Fe doping was 6[Formula: see text]at.% and 8[Formula: see text]at.%. The optical and electronic properties of pure and Fe-doped ZnO thin films such as refraction index, extinction coefficient, dielectric function and optical band gap energy of the layers were obtained by spectroscopic ellipsometry method in the wavelength range of 300–900[Formula: see text]nm. The incidence angle of the layers kept 70[Formula: see text]. Also data obtained by Kramers–Kronig relations were used for comparison. The influence of Fe-doping concentration on the optical and electronic properties of thin films was studied. The transmittance data of ZnO thin films showed that 6[Formula: see text]at.% Fe-doped ZnO thin film has the highest transmittance value. Dielectric function of pure ZnO films was found to be higher compared with Fe-doped ones. Also it can be deduced from the results that Fe doping influences the optical band gap energy of thin films.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 642-648
Author(s):  
Ehsan M. Aghkonbad ◽  
Hassan Sedghi ◽  
Maryam M. Aghgonbad

Background: Al-doped ZnO thin films are considered as a promising alternative to ITO in optoelectronic applications. In this work, Al-doped ZnO thin films were prepared using sol-gel spin coating technique. Experimental: The optical properties of the films such as refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric function and the absorption coefficient were examined using spectroscopic ellipsometry method in the wavelength range of 300 to 900 nm. The effect of Al doping on ZnO thin films with different Al concentrations was significant. Tauc relation was used to estimate the optical band gap energy of the films. Results: The calculated values of band gap energy were obtained between 3.10 to 3.25 eV. Also the fraction of voids was calculated using Aspnes theory. Conclusion: The free carrier concentration value was obtained in the order of 1019 cm-3.


2020 ◽  
Vol 398 ◽  
pp. 156-166
Author(s):  
Asla A. Al-Zahrani ◽  
Zulkarnain Zainal ◽  
Zainal Abidin Talib ◽  
Hong Ngee Lim ◽  
Laimy Mohd Fudzi ◽  
...  

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were coated onto Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) glass substrate using spin coating technique as a function of annealing temperature. The thin film preparation was undertaken by utilising zinc acetate dihydrate, ethanol and diethanolamine as the precursors. The films were coated at room temperature prior to being annealed at temperatures ranging from 300 °C to 450 °C. The resulting crystalline structure and surface morphology of the thin films were then examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). UV-visible spectrophotometer was also used to record the optical absorbance in wavelengths ranging from 200 to 800 nm. The findings revealed that the ZnO thin films showed a single phase of wurtzite with n-type semiconductor, with the lowest value of band gap energy of 3.28 eV for ZnO thin films annealed at 350 °C. FESEM results showed that the ZnO nanoparticles were very compact on the surface, whereby the average particle size was equivalent to 108.5, 115.3, 108.2 and 107.8 nm at the temperatures 300 °C, 350 °C, 400 °C, and 450 °C, respectively. Additionally, the highest photoconversion efficiency (0.11%) recorded for the sample was annealed at 350◦C. Thus, annealing temperature was found to significantly affect the optical and electrical properties of ZnO nanoparticle seed layer, as well as its band gap energy and surface morphology.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Saiful Islam ◽  
Chitra Das ◽  
Mehnaz Sharmin ◽  
Kazi Md Amzad Hussain ◽  
Shamima Choudhury

Effects of indium doping (concentration 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4%) on the optical properties of GaAs thin films were studied. Thin films of 600 nm were grown onto chemically and ultrasonically cleaned glass substrate by thermal evaporation method in high vacuum (~10-4 Pa) at 50°C fixed substrate temperature. The samples were annealed for 15 minutes at a fixed temperature of 200°C. The thicknesses of films were being measured in situ by a quartz crystal thickness monitor during deposition. The transmittance and reflectance data were found using UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer in the photon wavelength range of 310 ~ 2500 nm. These data were utilized to compute the absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction co-efficient and band gap energy of the studied films. Here transmittance was found 78 for 0.2% indium doping concentration. The band gap energy decreased with the increase of doping concentration.Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Vol. 40, No. 2, 179-186, 2016


2005 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 1186-1189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshio Suzuki ◽  
Piotr Jasinski ◽  
Vladimir Petrovsky ◽  
Harlan U. Anderson

2012 ◽  
Vol 616-618 ◽  
pp. 1773-1777
Author(s):  
Xi Lian Sun ◽  
Hong Tao Cao

In depositing nitrogen doped tungsten oxide thin films by using reactive dc pulsed magnetron sputtering process, nitrous oxide gas (N2O) was employed instead of nitrogen (N2) as the nitrogen dopant source. The nitrogen doping effect on the structural and optical properties of WO3 thin films was investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The thickness, refractive index and optical band gap energy of these films have been determined by analyzing the SE spectra using parameterized dispersion model. Morphological images reveal that the films are characterized by a hybrid structure comprising nanoparticles embeded in amorphous matrix and open channels between the agglomerated nanoparticles. Increasing nitrogen doping concentration is found to decrease the optical band gap energy and the refractive index. The reduced band gaps are associated with the N 2p orbital in the N-doped tungsten oxide films.


1991 ◽  
Vol 243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chien H. Peng ◽  
Jhing-Fang Chang ◽  
Seshu B. Desu

AbstractOptical properties were investigated for undoped, La-doped, and Nd-doped Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 thin films deposited on sapphire substrates by metalorganic decomposition (MOD) process. Refractive index and extinction coefficient of these films were calculated from transmission spectra in the wavelength range of 300 to 2000 nm. The packing densities of these films were calculated from the refractive index data by using the effective medium approximation. Band gap energies of these films were also reported under the assumption of direct band-to-band transition. The refractive index and band gap energy of PZT films showed a linear dependence on Zr/Ti ratio. The refractive index decreased, while the band gap energy increased with increasing zirconium content. It was also found that both La-doped and Nd-doped PZT films had higher refractive indices than those of undoped PZT films with the same Zr/Ti ratio (50/50).


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