G. Anil Kumar

Structural and Optical properties of ZnO thin films grown on various substrates by RF magnetron sputtering

ZnO thin films were deposited on glass, quartz and silicon substrates under the same growth condition by r.f. magnetron sputtering technique using a high purity (99.99%) ZnO target of 2-in. diameter and 3 mm thickness in an Argon atmosphere with sputtering power of 50W and sputtering pressure of 2×10−2 Torr. A systematic study has been made of the influence of substrate on the film structural properties. Crystalline properties of ZnO films as a function of deposited substrate were investigated using X-ray diffraction. XRD analysis revealed that the deposited films were polycrystalline in nature with strong preferential orientation of grains along the c-axis. The micro structural parameters, such as the lattice constant, crystallite size, stress and strain are calculated. The effect of substrate on the deposited films was discussed. All the films present a high transmittance of above 90% in the wavelength range of the visible spectrum and sharp absorption edge near 380 nm.

Effect of annealing on ZnO thin films grown on quartz substrate by RF magnetron sputtering

Zinc oxide thin films were grown on quartz substrates by RF magnetron sputtering technique in an Argon atmosphere with sputtering power of 50W and sputtering pressure of 2x10-2 Torr and studied the effect of annealing on the structural and optical properties. Crystalline properties of ZnO films as a function of annealing temperature were investigated using X-ray diffraction. XRD analysis revealed that the deposited films were polycrystalline in nature with strong preferential orientation of grains along the c-axis. The micro structural parameters, such as the lattice constant, crystallite size, stress and strain are calculated. The effect of annealing on the deposited films was discussed. All the films present a high transmittance of above 90% in the wavelength range of the visible spectrum and sharp absorption edge near 380 nm.

Structural and optical properties of AgO thin films grown by RF reactive magnetron sputtering technique

Ag and AgO thin films were grown on glass substrates at room temperature by RF reactive magnetron sputtering technique using silver metal target at high oxygen flow rates 10 to 30 sccm. The crystal structure, surface morphology, composition and optical properties of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and UV-VIS spectrometer, respectively. X-ray diffraction data on these films showed a systematic change from metallic silver to silver oxide (AgO). Optical measurements indicate the existence of a direct-band gap-allowed optical transition with a corresponding energy gap in the range of 1.69 - 1.71 eV.

Effect of substrate temperature on structural and optical properties of nanostructured ZnO thin films grown by RF magnetron sputtering

Nanocrystalline Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were prepared by using physical vapor deposition under a vacuum of 5 × 10−5 Torr by using rf magnetron sputtering technique at different substrate temperatures ranging from 373K to 573K. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) indicates that the films are polycrystalline, with strong preferential orientation of grains along the c-axis irrespective of their substrate temperature. The microstructural parameters, such as the lattice constant, crystallite size, stress, strain and dislocation density are calculated. The effect of substrate temperature on the deposited films was discussed. The grain size of the deposited ZnO films is observed to be small and is within the range of 11 to 48 nm. The grain size is observed to be increase from 11.72 to 48.52 nm with increasing substrate temperature. Optical measurements indicate the existence of a direct-band gap-allowed optical transition with a corresponding energy gap in the range of 3.26 – 3.32 eV. The films posses high transmittance over 90 % in the visible region and sharp absorption edge near 380 nm.

Growth of highly transparent and conductive CdO thin films deposited at different thicknesses by RF reactive magnetron sputtering

Cadmium oxide (CdO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by RF reactive magnetron sputtering using pure cadmium target in a mixture of argon and oxygen gases. The effect of film thickness on the structural, surface morphological, optical and electrical properties of CdO films was systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, UV-visible spectrophotometer and Hall effect measurements. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies showed that the films were polycrystalline in nature with a preferential orientation along (2 0 0) plane. Atomic force microscopy studies showed that these films were very smooth with maximum root mean square roughness of 3·64 nm. The CdO films formed at film thickness of 300 nm exhibited optical transmittance of 82%, electrical resistivity of 1·6×10−3 Ω cm and figure of merit of 2·5×10−3 Ω−1.Abstract Cadmium oxide (CdO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by RF reactive magnetron sputtering using pure cadmium target in a mixture of argon and oxygen gases. The effect of film thickness on the structural, surface morphological, optical and electrical properties of CdO films was systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, UV-visible spectrophotometer and Hall effect measurements. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies showed that the films were polycrystalline in nature with a preferential orientation along (2 0 0) plane. Atomic force microscopy studies showed that these films were very smooth with maximum root mean square roughness of 3·64 nm. The CdO films formed at film thickness of 300 nm exhibited optical transmittance of 82%, electrical resistivity of 1·6×10−3 Ω cm and figure of merit of 2·5×10−3 Ω−1.

Structural and optical properties of CdO thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering technique

Cadmium oxide (CdO) thin films were deposited on glass substrate by r.f. magnetron sputtering technique using a high purity (99.99%) Cd target of 2-inch diameter and 3 mm thickness in an Argon and oxygen mixed atmosphere with sputtering power of 50W and sputtering pressure of 2×10−2 mbar. The prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD analysis reveals that the films were polycrystalline with cubic structure. The visible range transmittance was found to be over 70%. The optical band gap increased from 2.7 eV to2.84 eV with decrease of film thickness.