Synthesis and characterization of sol-gel derived gallium-doped zinc oxide thin films

► Highly transparent GZO semiconductor thin films were prepared by sol-gel process. ► Doping the ZnO thin films with Ga obviously reduced surface roughness, decreased electrical resistivity, and improved transparency. ► The PL spectra of GZO thin films showed strong violet-light emission centers at about 2.86 eV. ► The 2% Ga-doped ZnO thin films exhibited the lowest average resistivity among all of the GZO thin films. ► GZO thin films were attained with a Ga dopant level of 2%, semiconductors of which can be used for transparent electronics.