UV photo-sensing performance of NiSnO3 thin films deposited by pulsed spray pyrolysis technique

Abstract

Pure nanostructured thin films of nickel stannite (NiSnO3; NSO) semiconducting oxide are synthesized by a simple pulsed spray pyrolysis technique on glass substrates at different deposition temperatures and spray times. XRD recorded patterns exhibit a polycrystalline nature for the deposited films. The Raman spectra provide confirmation of the presence of Sn–O and Ni–O bands. FESEM demonstrates a membrane-like structure with hexagonal pores’ formation and different diameter sizes. The NSO energy bandgap is calculated to be 3.72 eV using the absorption spectrum fitting method. The photoluminescence intensities of NSO films were found to fluctuate with the influence of deposited substrate temperature and spray time. The photo-sensing performance was examined by calculating the change in the resistance of the deposited films corresponding to the UV light exposure at room temperature. NSO samples prepared at high substrate temperatures, and long spray times perform the best dynamic photo-response for the UV illumination. Graphical abstract