UV-irradiated sol-gel spin coated AZO thin films: enhanced optoelectronic properties

Thin films of transparent conductive Al doped ZnO (AZO) thin films were produced via sol-gel spin coating route. Structural, optical, and electrical properties were explored for several dopant concentrations. Formation of crystalline AZO was verified by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Analysis and structura...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Heliyon 2022-01, Vol.8 (1), p.e08743-e08743, Article e08743
Main Authors: Khan, Md. Irfan, Neha, Tasratur Reaj, Billah, Md. Muktadir
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Burstein-moss effect
Optoelectronic
Sol-gel
Thin film
UV blocking
UV irradiation
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Summary:Thin films of transparent conductive Al doped ZnO (AZO) thin films were produced via sol-gel spin coating route. Structural, optical, and electrical properties were explored for several dopant concentrations. Formation of crystalline AZO was verified by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) Analysis and structural analysis were carried out later from the XRD data. Highest band gap of 3.67 eV was found for 2 mol % AZO thin films. The average transmittance was found to be 84.19% in the visible spectra for the corresponding thin films. 2 mol% AZO also exhibited a minimum resistivity of 2.05 Ω-cm with a maximum value of figure of merit. Prolonged UV irradiation was applied to 2 mol % AZO thin films prior to annealing. It significantly modified the surface morphology of the film and provided shielding near UVA (315–378 nm) spectrum. This also enhanced the conductivity of the thin film by 3-fold compared to non-UV treated sample and decreased optical band gap significantly. Thin film; Sol-gel; Optoelectronic; Burstein-moss effect; UV irradiation; UV blocking.
ISSN:2405-8440
2405-8440
DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08743