A Raman spectroscopic study of structural evolution of electrochemically deposited ZnO films with deposition time

Zinc oxide thin films were fabricated on ITO substrates by electrodeposition method. The electrolyte used was a 0.2 M zinc nitrate aqueous solution. The substrates were maintained at room temperature and the deposition performed for different times between 10 and 30 min. X-ray diffraction measurements indicated the formation of polycrystalline ZnO film with hexagonal wurtzite structure. The structure and crystallinity of the films was also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Further, the degree of disorder was estimated both from the phonon correlation length calculated from the Raman spectra using the spatial correlation model and from the intensity ratios of the phonons. The variation with deposition time followed the same trend as the crystallite sizes obtained from X-ray diffraction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements indicated oxygen deficiency in the films. A combination of annealing and optimum deposition time improves the quality of the electrodeposited ZnO films.

Research highlights
► Electrochemical deposition of ZnO films.
► Raman spectroscopic and XRD characterization.
► Degree of disorder estimated from phonon correlation length.