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Characterization of Pure and Al Doped ZnO Thin Films Prepared by Sol Gel Method for Solar Cell Applications

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Abstract

Pure and Al-doped Zin Oxide ZnO (AZO) thin films with different aluminum (Al) concentrations (0.5, 1, 2, and 3 at.%) were prepared on glass substrates by a dip-coating technique using different Zn and Al precursors. The structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of these films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Atomic force electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and four-point probe technique. XRD results showed that the obtained AZO thin films were polycrystalline with a highly c-axis preferred (002) orientation, and the average crystallites size decreased from 29 to 25 nm with the increase in Al doping concentration. EDS microanalysis confirmed the presence of Zn, O and Al elements in the prepared films as expected. The optical study demonstrated that the ZnO thin film had a good transparency in the visible range with a maximum transmittance of 90% and the band gaps varied from 3.16 to 3.26 eV by Al doping. SEM micrographs showed a wrinkles-like morphology of the thin films that changed in density with the increase of Al concentrations. The PL emission spectra indicated that except the thin film doped with 1 at.%, other films exhibited high emission intensities under an excitation of 325 nm which allows to apply them as downconversion layers for solar cell applications.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Funding

Funding financial support from the Directorate General for Scientific Research and Technological Development (Algerian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research).

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  1. Département de Technologie des Matériaux, Faculté de Physique, Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d’Oran Mohamed Boudiaf USTO-MB, BP 1505, El M’naouer, 31000, Oran, Algeria

    M. A. Bouacheria & M. Adnane

  2. Centre de Recherche en Technologie des Semi-Conducteurs Pour L’Energétique ‘CRTSE’, 02 Bd Frantz Fanon, BP 140, 7 Merveilles, Algiers, Algeria

    A. Djelloul & L. Benharrat

  3. Spectrometry Department, Nuclear Research Center of Algiers-CRNA, 02 Bd. Frantz Fanon BP, 399, Algiers, Algeria

    Y. Larbah

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  1. M. A. Bouacheria
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by MAB, AD, MA, YL and LB. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MAB and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Bouacheria, M.A., Djelloul, A., Adnane, M. et al. Characterization of Pure and Al Doped ZnO Thin Films Prepared by Sol Gel Method for Solar Cell Applications. J Inorg Organomet Polym 32, 2737–2747 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10904-022-02313-0

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