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Compositional Dependence of Optical and Structural Properties of Nanogranular Mixed ZrO2/ZnO/SnO2 Thin Film

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Abstract

A study on the optical properties and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of ternary oxide nanogranular thin films comprising Zr, Zn, and Sn revealed that the change in component ratio could direct the roadmap to improve characteristics of the films. Grazing angle X-ray diffraction analysis showed that incorporation of Sn atoms into the tetragonal structure of Zn/Zr thin film resulted in an amorphous structure. The band gap of film was tunable by precisely controlling the concentration of components. The widening of band gap could correlate to the quantum confinement effect. PL spectra of the composite thin films under excitation at 365 nm showed a sharp red emission with relatively Gaussian line shape, which was intensified in the optimum percentage ratio of 50/30/20. This nearly red emission is attributed to the radiative emission of electrons captured at low-energy traps located near the valence band. An optimum red emission is strongly desirable for use in white LEDs. The comparative study on FTIR spectra of unary, binary, and ternary thin films confirmed successful composition of three different metal oxides in ternary thin films. Detailed investigation on FTIR spectra of ternary compounds revealed that the quenching in PL emission at higher percentage of Sn was originally due to the hydroxyl group.

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Acknowledgment

The authors acknowledge the University of Guilan Research Council for their support of this work.

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  1. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Guilan, Namjoo Avenue, Rasht, Iran

    S. Salari & F. E. Ghodsi

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Manuscript submitted October 13, 2017.

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Salari, S., Ghodsi, F.E. Compositional Dependence of Optical and Structural Properties of Nanogranular Mixed ZrO2/ZnO/SnO2 Thin Film. Metall Mater Trans A 49, 2533–2550 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-018-4556-9

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