Characteristics of Aldoped ZnO thin films obtained by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis effects of Al dopi.pdfVIP

Materials Science and Engineering B 106 (2004) 242–245 Characteristics of Al-doped ZnO thin films obtained by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis: effects of Al doping and an annealing treatment Jin-Hong Lee, Byung-Ok Park∗ Department of Inorganic Materials Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Deagu 702-701, South Korea Received 15 August 2003; accepted 9 September 2003 Abstract Transparent conducting Al-doped ZnO thin films were prepared on silica glass substrates by an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method. The effects of Al doping and an annealing treatment on electrical and optical properties of ZnO thin films were investigated. Zinc acetate dihydrate, 2-methoxyethanol and aluminum chloride were used as a starting material, a solvent and a dopant source, respectively. The electrical conductivity of ZnO films was improved by Al doping and by annealing in a reducing atmosphere. The minimum electrical resistivity was obtained in the 3 at.% Al-doped film annealed at 500 ◦C in nitrogen with 5% hydrogen and its value was 1.71 × 10−2 cm. The average optical transmittance of all films, regardless of a doping concentration and an annealing condition, was higher than 80% in the visible range. The optical direct band gap of films was dependent on the amount of a dopant and the annealing treatment in a reducing atmosphere. The optical direct band gap value of 3 at.% Al-doped films annealed at 500 ◦C in nitrogen were 3.33 eV. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Zinc oxide; Thin films; Ultrasonic spray pyrolysis methods; Electrical properties; Optical properties 1. Introduction The n-type conductivity in non-stoichiometric ZnO is well known to or