Effect of thermal annealing on the structural, electrical and optical properties of Al-Ni co-doped ZnO thin films prepared using a sol-gel method

Zhang, X. L., Hui, K. S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7089-7587, Bin, Feng, Hui, K. N., Li, Lei, Cho, Y. R., Mane, Rajaram S. and Zhou, Wei (2015) Effect of thermal annealing on the structural, electrical and optical properties of Al-Ni co-doped ZnO thin films prepared using a sol-gel method. Surface and Coatings Technology, 261. pp. 149-155. ISSN 0257-8972

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Abstract

Al-Ni co-doped ZnO (NiAl:ZnO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates using a sol-gel method. Based on a previous study, Zn1-xAlxO (AZO; Al/Zn=1.5mol%) thin films optimized with a Ni content of 0.5mol% were annealed at different temperatures from 450 to 600°C in N2/H2 (95/5) forming gas for 1h. The effects of the annealing temperature on the structural, electrical and optical properties were determined. X-ray diffraction showed that NiAl:ZnO thin film annealed at 500°C exhibited the best crystallization quality. XPS revealed the presence of metallic Ni and Ni2O3 states, as well as Ni and Al atoms were successfully doped in NiAl:ZnO films, which did not result in a change in ZnO crystal structure and orientation. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the films were smooth and compact, and the grain size increased with increasing annealing temperature from ~23.8nm to ~34.6nm. According to the Hall Effect measurements, when the temperature reached 500°C, the resistivity of the thin film showed the lowest value of 1.05×10-3 (Ωcm), which is the lowest resistivity reported for NiAl:ZnO films. The UV-Vis transmission spectra showed a high transmittance of more than 80% in the visible light range, and the band gap of the films was increased from 3.30 to 3.55eV. This study showed that the annealing temperature in the forming gas is a vital factor affecting the quality of thin films. In addition, 500°C was found to be the most appropriate annealing temperature for NiAl:ZnO films. This study provides a simple and efficient method for preparing high quality, high transparency and low resistivity NiAl:ZnO films for optoelectronic applications.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: al-ni co-doped zno,annealing temperature,forming gas,sol-gel method
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Engineering (former - to 2024)
University of East Anglia Research Groups/Centres > Theme - ClimateUEA
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Energy Materials Laboratory
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Emerging Technologies for Electric Vehicles (EV)
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Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 04 Oct 2016 12:01
Last Modified: 25 Sep 2024 12:15
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/60671
DOI: 10.1016/j.surfcoat.2014.11.043

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