Comparative Study of As-Deposited ZnO Thin Films by Thermal Evaporation, Pulsed Laser Deposition and RF Sputtering Methods for Electronic and Optoelectronic Applications

Abstract

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films have been deposited on Si substrate and glass substrate using thermal evaporation, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and radiofrequency (RF) sputtering methods. The structural, surface morphological, optical and electrical properties of ZnO thin films deposited by these three methods were investigated and compared systematically using x-ray diffractometer, atomic force microscopy, ellipsometric and current-voltage (I-V) measurement. The ZnO films deposited by RF sputtering method were highly oriented along the (002) plane. The ZnO films grown by thermal evaporation and PLD methods exhibited a polycrystalline nature. The surface roughness was found to be the least and the transparency in the visible region was the highest for the films grown by the RF sputtering method as compared to the films grown by the other two methods. The I-V characteristics reveal that the Pd:Au/ZnO (RF-sputtered) Schottky contact exhibited a better value of ideality factor, series resistance and barrier height as compared to the values obtained for Pd:Au/ZnO (thermally evaporated and pulse laser-deposited) Schottky contacts. The optical bandgap was found to be almost the same for the films grown by all three methods and was estimated to be around 3.2 eV.

ZnO thin film-nanowire array homo-structures with tunable photoluminescence and optical band gap

“…It is known that crystallization of ZnO thin lms prepared by thermal evaporation either from a Zn or ZnO source requires post-deposition heat treatment. 21 The lms in the present case are also nanocrystalline with crystallite size of 20-25 nm as estimated from Scherrer's formula. In addition, there is a shi in the peak positions to higher 2q values with increase in thickness indicating a change in the residual stresses within the ZnO lms at different thickness.…”

GAD plasma-assisted synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles and their photocatalytic activity

“…Previous studies have explored various techniques, such as PLD, sputtering, radio frequency (RF) plasma, microwave plasma, and atmospheric pressure plasma, for synthesizing ZnO nanoparticles [16,17]. These methods require high power and elevated temperatures, making them unsuitable for temperature-sensitive materials.…”

“…Despite the advancements, there is still a research gap in the realm of plasma-based synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles. To further illustrate the advantages of GAD plasma, table 1 provides a comprehensive comparison of key parameters between GAD plasma, PLD, sputtering, and other plasma technologies used for ZnO nanoparticle synthesis [17][18][19][20][21][22]. This table illustrates the efficiency of the GAD plasma method, showcasing lower operating temperatures that are conducive to temperaturesensitive materials and contribute to enhanced sustainability.…”

Termal buharlaştırma yöntemi ile üretilen n-ZnO/p-Si heteroeklem kontakların elektriksel ve optiksel karakterizasyonu

“…Fotovoltaik özellik taşıyan NiO, ZnO, CuO, SnO2 ve ITO gibi metal oksit ince filmler güneş pili üretimlerinde yaygın bir şekilde araştırılmaktadır. ZnO metal oksiti kararlı ve etkin yapısal özelliklerinden dolayı en yoğun çalışılmış bir ince filmdir [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”