Comparative structural and optical studies of Al-/Sn-doped ZnO-textured films for optoelectronic application

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics 2022-06, Vol.33 (17), p.13757-13770
• Main Authors: Bhardwaj, Sumit, Gupta, Aayush, Kumar, Gagan, Sharma, Pankaj, Kant, Ravi, Pandey, O. P., Sharma, Kamal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Dopants; Doping; Electrical properties; Energy harvesting; Engineering; Glass substrates; Grain growth; Heat; Immersion coating; Materials Science; Nitrates; Optical and Electronic Materials; Optical properties; Optoelectronics; Photovoltaic cells; Room temperature; Solar cells; Spectroscopy; Spectrum analysis; Thin films; Tin; Wurtzite; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-022-08308-4

Zinc oxide has been exploited in variety of engineering applications, such as electronics, optical, coatings, energy harvesting, and catalysis, due to its premium optical and electrical properties. Present work describes the preparation of transparent coating of Al-/Sn-doped ZnO thin films on glass substrate through dip coating technique at room temperature. The work presents a variation of Al/Sn doping in ZnO to study its microstructural and optical characteristics. X-ray diffraction results revealed the formation of wurtzite phase up to 2.0 wt% doping. Further, structural modification (successful incorporation of dopant) was also inferred by XRD, and Fourier transformed infra-red spectroscopy. The associated optical modifications were also recorded by UV–visible spectroscopy with high transparency in visible region. Surface morphology results revealed the highly preferential growth (texture coefficient) in doped samples which is directly proportional to dopant concentration and makes these samples suitable for optoelectronic or solar cell applications.