Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films are deposited on glass substrate by sol-gel spin coating using zinc acetate dihydrate as a precursor with different molar concentrations varying from 0.35 to 0.75 mol/L. To investigate the structural, electrical, optical and morphological properties of AZO films, XRD, four-point probes, HE measurement, UV-Vis spectrometry and SEM with EDX are used. Thickness of the thin film is measured by a surface profilometer. The structural characteristics show a hexagonal wurtzite structure with a (002)-preferred orientation. Optical study reveals that transmittance is very high (up to 90%) within the visible region and optical band gap, E g varies from 3.25 to 3.29 eV with Zn concentration. The carrier concentration increases and resistivity decreases with the increase in Zn concentration. Thin films fabricated with 0.75 mol/L of Zn concentration exhibit the best electrical property. SEM study shows non-uniform surface of the films where EDX confirms the formation of AZO. The results revealed by this study prompt a high interest to use AZO as transparent conductive oxide for advanced applications such as displays, solar cells and optoelectronic devices.

Al doped ZnO (AZO) films are fabricated by using sol-gel spin coating method and changes in electrical, optical and structural properties due to variation in film thickness is studied. AZO films provide c-axis orientation along the (002) plane and peak sharpness increased with film thickness is evident from XRD analysis. Conductivity (σ) of AZO films has increased from 2.34 (Siemens/cm) to 20156.27 (Siemens/cm) whereas sheet resistance (Rsh) decreases from 606300 (ohms/sq.) to 2.08 (ohm/sq.) with increase of film thickness from 296 nm to 1030 nm. Optical transmittance (T%) of AZO films is decreased from around 82% to 62% in the visible region. And grain size (D) of AZO thin films has been found to increase from 19.59 nm to 25.25 nm with increase of film thickness. Figure of Merit is also calculated for prepared sample of AZO. Among these four sample of AZO thin films, L-15 sample (having thickness in 895 nm) has provided highest figure of merit which is 5.49*10^-4 (Ω-1).

A potential solar absorber material, sputtered kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin film, has been extensively studied in recent years due to its advantageous properties, including the earth abundance of its constituent elements, nontoxicity, suitable band gap, and high absorption coefficient. 2000 nm CZTS thin films were deposited on soda lime glass by a sputtering technique. The prepared films underwent a postannealing treatment for crystallization in which different temperatures and pressures were applied to understand its impact on film growth, phase formation, and stoichiometry. The annealed samples were subsequently characterized by Raman and UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The thickness of each film was measured using a surface profilometer and from a cross-sectional image obtained by SEM. The XRD pattern for each film showed characteristic (112), (220), and (312) peaks, and the phase purity was confirmed via Raman studies. Film surface morphology and roughness were studied by AFM. The root mean square roughness was found to increase with annealing temperature and base pressure. The chemical compositions of the prepared samples were analyzed by EDX, and the films showed desired stoichiometry. UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy indicated that the direct band gap energies (Eg) of the films were 1.47 eV–1.51 eV, within the optimum range for use in solar cells. These attractive properties of the sputtered CZTS thin film should heighten interest in its use as a solar absorber layer in the next-generation photovoltaic cells, suggesting that it possesses substantial commercial promise.