Effect of substrate temperature on the properties of ZnO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Sprayed ZnO films were grown on glass at different substrate temperatures from 200 °C to 500 °C and their structural, optical and electrical properties were investigated. All films are polycrystalline with hexagonal wurtzite structure. ZnO films at substrate temperatures above 400 °C appear to be better crystalized with (002) plane as preferential orientation. Optical transmission spectrum shows that ZnO films have high transmission (above 80%) in visible region for substrate temperatures above 400 °C. Photoluminescence spectra at room temperature show an ultraviolet emission and two visible emissions at 2.82 eV and 2.37 eV. The resistivity of ZnO films increases with increasing substrate temperatures (above 400 °C). The ZnO film deposited at 400 °C shows highest figure of merit.     

Magneto-optical characteristics of Mn-doped ZnO films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

This work considers a Mn-doped ZnO (ZnO:Mn) film deposited on a slide glass substrate by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. ZnO:Mn (Mn at 1.5 at%) film with and without an applied magnetic field, is demonstrated to have absorption edges at 2.74 and 2.84 eV, respectively. These values are lower than that of a pure ZnO film because the Mn-doping causes the exchange of s–d and p–d interactions or high carrier concentration. When the ZnO:Mn film is placed in a magnetic field B_z of 0.5 T, an absorption edge and a photoluminescence (PL) shift of about 0.1 eV and 85 meV, respectively, are observed. This shift is attributed to the interband magneto-optic absorption associated with the Landau splitting. The observed shift increases with the amount of Mn dopant.     

冰乙酸在超声喷雾热分解法制备ZnO薄膜中的作用

采用超声喷雾热分解技术(USP),以二水醋酸锌(Zn(CH<,3>COO)<,2>·2H<,z>O)为原材料.在无碱玻璃衬底上制备了ZnO薄膜.对前驱液pH值、ZnO薄膜结构特性、表面形貌、电学和光学特性的研究结果表明,冰乙酸对ZnO薄膜生长速率具有重要影响.X射线衍射(XRD)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)测试显示,所有...     

超声喷雾热解法制备ZnO：Eu薄膜

以醋酸锌（Zn（CH3COO）2）、氯化铕（EuCl3）水溶液为前驱体,采用超声喷雾热解（USP）方法在ITO导电玻璃衬底上沉积Eu掺杂ZnO（ZnO：Eu）薄膜。通过扫描电镜（SEM）、X射线衍射（XRD）和光致发光（PL）谱对ZnO：Eu薄膜的形貌、结构和光学性质进行了研究。SEM测试结果表明,超声喷雾热解法制备的...     

Enhancement of photoluminescence in Sr doped ZnO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Photoluminescence characteristics of strontium doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Sr) thin films grown by spray pyrolysis method were investigated. The ZnO:Sr films were highly transparent having polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure. A redshift of 130 meV in the optical band gap was observed owing to atomic size mismatch induced defect states and increase in the crystallite size in ZnO:Sr films. The enhancement of intensity of violet emission in room temperature photoluminescence by 250% is in correlation with the improved surface morphology at higher concentration of Sr in ZnO:Sr thin film. The observed increment in visible emissions is attributed to Sr induced oxygen vacancy related recombination in ZnO.     

Effects of the substrate temperature and solution molarity on the structural opto-electric properties of ZnO thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis

Zinc oxide (ZnO) was largely studied in various applications such as photovoltaic conversion, optoelectronics and piezoelectric, because of its interesting physical properties (morphological, structural, optical and electrical). The present work deals with the preparation of zinc oxide thin films (ZnO) deposited by the spray pyrolysis method. The starting solution was zinc chloride (ZnCl₂). Effects of solution molarity and substrate temperature on films properties were investigated. All films deposited were characterized by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction for structural characterizations, profilometry for thickness measurements, UV–vis transmission spectrophotometry for optical properties and the four probes conductivity measurements for electrical characterization. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns show that the films deposited are polycrystalline with (0 0 2) plan as preferential orientation. The UV–vis spectroscopy confirms the possibility of good transparent ZnO thin films deposition with an average transmission of about ∼85% in the visible region. However, the measured electrical resistivities of the deposited films were in the order of 10⁴ Ω cm     

Effect of Fe-doping on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Fe-doped ZnO thin films have been prepared by spray pyrolysis on glass substrates and the influence of Fe-doping concentration on the structural and optical properties of the films has been studied.The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis shows that Fe doping has a significant effect on crystalline quality,grain size and strain in the thin films.The best crystalline structure is obtained for 3 at%Fe doping as observed from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and XRD.However,lower or higher Fe-doping degrades the crystalline quality in turn.Moreover,UV spectroscopy demonstrates the influence of Fe-incorporation on visible range transmittance of ZnO where the best transmittance is obtained for 3 at%doping.The results have been illustrated simultaneously focusing previous results obtained from literature.     

Indium doped zinc oxide thin films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique: Effect of the substrate temperature on the physical properties

Indium doped zinc oxide (ZnO:In) thin solid films were deposited on soda-lime glass substrates by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique. The effect of the substrate temperature on the electrical, morphology, and optical characteristics of ZnO:In thin films was studied. It was found that, as the substrate temperature increases, the electrical resistivity decreases, reaching a minimum value in the order of 7.3×10⁻³ Ω cm, at 415 °C. Further increase in the substrate temperature results on an increment on the electrical resistivity of the thin solid films. All the samples were polycrystalline with a well-defined wurtzite structure. The preferred growth shows a switching from a random orientation at low substrates temperatures to (0 0 2) in the case of films deposited at the highest substrate temperature used. As the substrate temperature increases, the corresponding surface morphology changes from an almost faceted pyramidal to round-shaped form. The optical transmittance of the films in a interval of 400 to 700 nm is around 70%, with a band gap value in the order of 3.45 eV.     

Influence of Sn content on properties of ZnO:SnO2 thin films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

The present work is devoted to the preparation of zinc oxide (ZnO): tin oxide (SnO₂) thin films by ultrasonic spray technique. A set of films are deposited using a solution formed with zinc acetate and tin chloride salts mixture with varied weight ratio R=[Sn/(Zn+Sn)]. The ratio R is varied from 0 to 100% in order to investigate the influence of Sn concentration on the physical properties of ZnO:SnO₂ films. The X rays diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that films are composed of ZnO and SnO₂ distinct phases without any alloys or spinnel phase formations. The average grain size of crystallites varies with the ratio R from 17 to 20 nm for SnO₂ and from 24 to 40 nm for ZnO. The obtained films are highly transparent with a transmission coefficient equal to 80%. An increase in Sn concentration increases both the effective band gap energy from 3.2 to 4.01 eV and the photoluminescence intensity peak assigned defects to SnO₂. The films electrical characterization indicated that films are resistive. Their resistivities vary between 1.2×10² and 3.3×10⁴ (Ω cm). The higher resistivity is measured in film deposited with a ratio R equal to 50%.     

Influences of substrate type on the pH sensitivity of CuS thin films EGFET prepared by spray pyrolysis deposition

Copper sulphide (CuS) thin films were deposited by spray pyrolysis using CuCl₂·2H₂O and Na₂S₂O₃·5H₂O precursors as sources of Cu²⁺ and S^2- respectively, with deionized water as a solvent. Three types of substrates were used for films deposition; glass, tungsten and Si. X-ray measurements of the structural characteristics of the deposited films indicated single phase CuS covellite phase with orientations in the z-axis (001). The presence of oxygen suggested improved pH sensing characteristics. Morphological characterization showed differences in shape and size of CuS crystal structure, which affect the surface-to-volume ratio and surface site density of the substrates. The as-deposited films were used as extended gates of field effect transistor to measure the pH sensitivity for buffer solutions in the set of 2-to-12 step 2; the optimum pH sensitivity was 23.3 mV/pH for CuS/glass membrane. The hysteresis was measured for buffer solutions prepared at pH7-pH4-pH7-pH10-pH7 in order to find its pH response delay; the minimum value was 0.48 mV for glass substrate. Also, the repeatability, stability and reliability of the (CuS) thin films were measured in terms of coefficient of variation (C.V.) with the same setup used for measuring pH sensitivity. Repeatability values of 0.04%, 0.02% and 0.38% were recorded for glass, tungsten and Si, respectively, while stability and reliability values of 0.15%, 0.15% and 0.10% were recorded at pH4, pH7 and pH10, respectively, for glass substrate.     

Effects of substrate temperature on the properties of CdSnSe thin films deposited by nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique

Thin films of cadmium tin selenide (CdSnSe) have been prepared on glass substrates at different temperatures by the nebulizer spray pyrolysis (NSP) technique using aqueous solutions of cadmium chloride (CdCl₂), tin chloride (SnCl₂) and sodium selenosulphate (Na₂SeSO₃). The deposited films were characterized by structural, morphological, compositional, optical and electrical properties. X-ray diffraction studies confirm that the CdSnSe films are polycrystalline in nature having mixed phase (hexagonal+cubic) crystal structure with preferential orientation (102) plane which corresponds to hexagonal crystal structure. Scanning electron microscopy studies reveal that the prepared films are having smooth and uniform surface with dense surface morphology well-covered over the entire substrate surface without any cracks. The UV–vis spectroscopy confirms the formation of good transparent CdSnSe films with an average transmission ∼60% in the visible region. Optical band gap energies of the films are found to be varied from 1.6–1.625 eV depending on the substrate temperatures. The temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity during the heat treatment was also studied. The electrical conductivity of the films is found to be in the order of 10⁻³ Ω-cm⁻¹ and increases with temperature.     

Synthesis and gas sensing behavior of nanostructured V2O5 thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Nanocrystalline vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) thin films have been deposited by a spray pyrolysis technique on preheated glass substrates. The substrate temperature was changed between 300 and 500 °C. The structural and morphological properties of the films were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The influence of different substrate temperatures on ethanol response of V₂O₅ has also been investigated. XRD revealed that the films deposited at T_pyr=300 °C have low peak intensities, but the degree of crystallinity improved when the temperature was increased to 500 °C and films had orthorhombic structures with preferential orientations along the (0 0 1) direction. The fractal analysis showed a decreasing trend versus the pyrolysis temperature. Sensing properties of the samples were studied in the presence of ethanol vapor. The operating temperature of the sensor was optimized for the best gas response. The response increased linearly with different ethanol concentrations. It was found that films deposited at the lowest substrate temperature (300 °C) had the highest sensing response to ethanol.     

Semiconducting properties of aluminum-doped ZnO thin films grown by spray pyrolysis technique

Highly transparent and preferential c-axis oriented nanocrystalline undoped and Al doped zinc oxide(AZO) thin films have been deposited onto amorphous glass substrate by spray pyrolysis. The XRD studies reveal that AZO with a hexagonal(wurtzite) crystal structure having(002) preferred orientation is formed. The atomic force microscope(AFM) shows uniform surface topography. The optical band gap values of undoped and AZO thin films were changed from 3.34 to 3.35 eV. The band gap energy and photoluminescence are found to depend on the Al doping. Thermoelectric power measurement shows film having n-type in nature. Dielectric constant and loss(tan)were found to be frequency dependent. Interparticle interactions in the deposited films are studied by complex impendence spectroscopy.     

Properties of antimony doped ZnO thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis technique

Antimony (Sb) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on the glass substrate at 450°C using spray pyrolysis technique. Effect of Sb doping on surface morphology structural, optical and electrical properties were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that both the undoped and doped ZnO thin films are polycrystalline in nature with (101) preferred orientation. SEM analysis showed a change in surface morphology of Sb doped ZnO thin films. Doping results in a marked increase in conductivity without affecting the transmittance of the films. ZnO films prepared with 3 at % Sb shows the lowest resistivity of 0.185 Ohm cm with a Hall mobility of 54.05 cm² V^–1 s^–1, and a hole concentration of 6.25 × 10¹⁷ cm^–3.     

Elaboration and characterization of Co-doped ZnO thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis technique

The structure and the nature of magnetism of ZnO and Zn_1−xCo_xO (CZO) thin films (0?x?0.09) deposited on glass substrate at 450 °C by spray pyrolysis technique is investigated. All the CZO thin films have the ZnO wurtzite structure with a preferential orientation along the c-axis and had no impurity phase. This was also confirmed by transmission electron microscopy analysis. Transmission UV-visible spectroscopy showed that Co²⁺ was well substituted for the Zn²⁺ ions in the ZnO matrix. Magnetization measurements at low temperature show that CZO thin films present a paramagnetic behaviour and no sign of ferromagnetism.     

Effect of substrate temperature on structural,morphological, optical and electrical properties of MnIn2S4 thin films prepared by nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique

Manganese indium sulphide (MnIn₂S₄) thin films were deposited using an aqueous solution of MnCl₂, InCl₃ and (NH₂)₂CS in the molar ratio 1:2:4 by simple chemical spray pyrolysis technique. The thin film substrates were annealed in the temperature range between 250 and 350 °C to study their various physical properties. The structural properties as studied by X-ray diffraction showed that MnIn₂S₄ thin films have cubic spinel structure. The formation of cube and needle shaped grains was clearly observed from FE-SEM analysis. The energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) predicts the presence of Mn, In and S in the synthesized thin film. From the optical studies, it is analyzed that the maximum absorption co-efficient is in the order between 10⁴ and 10⁵ cm⁻¹ and the maximum transmittance (75%) was noted in the visible and infrared regions. It is noted that, the band gap energy decreases (from 3.20 to 2.77 eV) with an increase of substrate temperature (from 250 to 350 °C). The observations from photoluminescence studies confirm the emission of blue, green, yellow and red bands which corresponds to the wavelength range 370–680 nm. Moreover, from the electrical studies, it is observed that, as the substrate temperature increases the conductivity also increases in the range 0.29–0.41×10⁻⁴ Ω⁻¹ m⁻¹. This confirms the highly semiconducting nature of the film. The thickness of the films was also measured and the values ranged between 537 nm (250 °C) to 483 nm (350 °C). This indicates that, as the substrate temperature increases, the thickness of the film decreases. From the present study, it is reported that the MnIn₂S₄ thin films are polycrystalline in nature and can be used as a suitable ternary semiconductor material for photovoltaic applications.     

Properties of nanostructured Al doped ZnO thin films grown by spray pyrolysis technique

Aluminium doped zinc oxide thin films were deposited on glass substrate by using spray pyrolysis technique. The X-ray diffraction study of the films revealed that the both the undoped and Al doped ZnO thin films exhibits hexagonal wurtzite structure. The preferred orientation is (002) for undoped and up to 3 at % Al doping, further increase in the doping concentration to 5 at % changes the preferred orientation to (101) direction. The surface morphology of the films studied by scanning electron microscope, reveal marked changes on doping. Optical study indicates that both undoped and Al doped films are transparent in the visible region. The band gap of the films increased from 3.24 to 3.36 eV with increasing Al dopant concentration from 0 to 5 at % respectively. The Al doped films showed an increase in the conductivity by three orders of magnitude with increase in doping concentration. The maximum value of conductivity 106.3 S/cm is achieved for 3 at % Al doped films.     

Vibrational and morphological properties of Sn-doped CdS films deposited by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method

Cd_1?xSn_xS films (x=0.0, 0.1 and 0.2) were prepared by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) method on the glass substrate at 300 °C. Effect of Sn doping on the vibrational and morphological properties of CdS films has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy. The SEM and AFM measurements showed that the surface morphology of the films was affected by the tin incorporation. The Raman (200–700 cm^?1) and FT-IR (400–4000 cm^?1) spectra of Cd_1?xSn_xS were recorded. The Raman spectrum for Cd_1?xSn_xS films is dominated by an intense band at 300 cm^?1, assigned to the first-order longitudinal optic phonon and the second-order phonon peak 599 cm^?1. The absorption peaks in the FT-IR spectra of Cd_1?xSn_xS located at 540–700 and 1004–1045 cm^?1 can be assigned to the Cd–S and C–O stretching frequencies, respectively. Raman and FT-IR spectra shows decrease in the peak intensity with increasing Sn concentration.     

Raman spectroscopic study of In2S3 films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Indium sulfide (In₂S₃) thin films are of interest as buffer layers in chalcopyrite absorber based solar cells; and as media providing two-photon absorption for intermediate-band solar cells. We investigated the suitability of chemical spray pyrolysis (CSP) for growing In₂S₃ thin films in a structural order where indium atoms are preferentially in the octahedral sites. We sprayed aqueous or alcoholic solutions of indium chloride (InCl₃) and thiourea (SC(NH₂)₂) precursors onto a substrate with surface temperatures (T_S) of 205, 230, 275 and 320 °C. The as-deposited films grown from aqueous solutions were annealed in 5% H₂S containing atmosphere at 500 °C. We used Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to evaluate the effect of growth temperature and the effect of annealing on the film structure and stoichiometry. The use of alcoholic solvent instead of aqueous allows us to use much lower T_S while preserving the quality of the β-In₂S₃ films obtained. Similarly, films with increased stoichiometry and quality are present at a higher T_S; and when annealed. The annealing of the films grown at T_S of 205 °C results in a much higher gain of the crystal quality compared to the gain when annealing the films grown at T_S of 320 °C, although the quality remain higher when deposited at T_S of 320 °C. Simultaneously with the increase of the film quality, there is a sign of increased quality of the crystal ordering with indium in the octahedral sites. Such a crystal ordering favor the use of CSP deposited In₂S₃ films in the intermediate band solar cells.     

Growth and molarity effects on properties of alumina thin films obtained by spray pyrolysis

Various and versatile applications of alumina in materials science and engineering specially in semiconductor and energy conversion technology encouraged us to prepare and investigate its physical properties as much as possible. Hence, after depositing of alumina thin films on glass substrates by a spray pyrolysis technique, structural, morphological, and optical properties of the films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV–visible spectrophotometry. Different optical quantities, such as optical band gap, refractive index and extinction coefficient, were determined in this article for different molarities (from 0.10 M to 0.25 M) at two specific substrate temperatures (250 °C and 500 °C). XRD results showed the prevailing amorphous phase in all samples as expected, whereas SEM, XPS, and FTIR presented the presence of molarity effects on alumina properties. Decrease of optical transmittance with molarity increase was notable. Using the transmittance data other optical quantities were obtained by a numerical approximation method.