Influence of 8 MeV Electron Irradiation on the Properties of ZnO Nanocrystalline Thin Films for Optoelectronic Devices in the High Radiation Environment

• Published in: Thin solid films 2022-08, Vol.756, p.139353, Article 139353
• Main Authors: Serrao, Felcy Jyothi, Sandeep, K.M., Raghavendra, S., Kumara, K., Bappalige, Navin N, Dharmaprakash, S.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 8 MeV electron irradiation; Bandgap; Figure of Merit; Optoelectronics; Oxygen vacancies
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2022.139353

•Effects of 8 MeV electron irradiation on the properties of ZnO films are investigated.•Electrical resistivity of the films decreased after irradiation.•ZnO film, irradiated with 5 kGy electron dose shows the maximum Figure of Merit.•Irradiation is a potential approach to enhance the performance of ZnO thin film. Herein, we present the influence of 8 MeV electron beam irradiation on the structural, optical and electrical properties of sol-gel derived spin-coated ZnO films. The electron irradiation doses varied from 0 kGy to 10 kGy. We observed significant changes in the morphology, optical and electrical properties of the films upon irradiation. Structural analysis of the films revealed the preferential and dominant c-axis orientation of the crystallites along the (002) plane. The preferential growth of the films was also supported by the values of texture coefficient. Atomic Force Microscopy studies reveal the linear relationship between the surface roughness, grain size and irradiation dose. The average transmittance of the films decreased from 87% to 66% after irradiation. A slight red-shift of the optical band gap values was observed when the absorbed dose was increased from 0 kGy to 10 kGy. The Photoluminescence measurement of the films showed that the intensity of the defect-related peak increases with the electron dose. The electrical resistivity of the films decreased after irradiation and a minimum resistivity of 7.566 × 10−2 Ω m was obtained from the film irradiated with a 5 kGy electron dose. To find the performance and quality of the prepared film, the Figure of Merit was calculated and was found that the film irradiated with a 5 kGy electron dose shows the maximum value. The obtained results show that electron irradiation is a potential alternative approach to improve the performance of the ZnO films for optoelectronic devices in a high radiation environment.