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Effect of different sol concentrations on the properties of nanocrystalline ZnO thin films grown on FTO substrates by sol-gel spin-coating

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Abstract

Nanocrystalline ZnO thin films grown on fluorine-doped tinoxide (FTO) substrates were fabricated using the spin-coating method. The structural and the optical properties of the ZnO thin films prepared using different sol concentrations were investigated by using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) measurements, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrometry. The surface morphology of the ZnO thin films, as observed in the SEM images, exhibited a mountain-chain structure. XRD results indicated that the thin films were preferentially orientated along the direction of the c-axis and that the grain size of the ZnO thin films increased with increasing sol concentration. The PL spectra showed a strong ultraviolet emission peak at 3.22 eV and a broad orange emission peak at 2.0 eV. The intensities of deep-level emission (DLE) gradually increased with increasing sol concentration from 0.4 to 1.0 M. The transmittance spectra of the ZnO thin films showed that the ZnO thin films were transparent (~85%) in the visible region and exhibited sharp absorption edges at 375 nm. Thus, The Urbach energy of ZnO thin films decreased with increasing sol concentration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nano Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae, 621-749, Korea

    Ikhyun Kim, Younggyu Kim, Giwoong Nam, Dongwan Kim, Minju Park, Haeun Kim, Wookbin Lee & Jae-Young Leem

  2. Department of Physics, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan, 712-749, Korea

    Jong Su Kim

  3. Research Center of Advanced Materials Development (RCAMD), Division of Advanced Materials Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, 561-756, Korea

    Jin Soo Kim

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  1. Ikhyun Kim
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  2. Younggyu Kim
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  3. Giwoong Nam
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  4. Dongwan Kim
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  5. Minju Park
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  6. Haeun Kim
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  9. Jong Su Kim
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Correspondence to Jae-Young Leem.

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Kim, I., Kim, Y., Nam, G. et al. Effect of different sol concentrations on the properties of nanocrystalline ZnO thin films grown on FTO substrates by sol-gel spin-coating. Journal of the Korean Physical Society 65, 480–486 (2014). https://doi.org/10.3938/jkps.65.480

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3938/jkps.65.480

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