Fluorine doped zinc oxide thin films deposited by chemical spray, starting from zinc pentanedionate and hydrofluoric acid: Effect of the aging time of the solution

Fluorine doped zinc oxide thin films, ZnO:F, were deposited on sodocalcic glass substrates, starting from zinc pentanedionate and hydrofluoric acid, by the chemical spray technique. The effect of the aging time of the starting solution on the electrical, structural, morphological and optical characteristics of the ZnO thin films was studied. Uniform, adherent, and mirror-like films were deposited at different days. A high electrical resistivity, was found in the films deposited the first day. However, a decrease in the resistivity, until a minimum, in the order of 3 × 10−2 Ω cm was reached for films deposited after the starting solution was aged for twelve days. The films fit well with the hexagonal, wurtzite-type ZnO structure, with a (0 0 2) preferential growth. Variation in the grain size was observed as a consequence of the aging of the solution. An average crystallite size varied between 17.3 and 22.8 nm due to aging effect, and some variations in surface morphology were encountered. All the films are highly transparent in the near UV-vis range, with an average transmittance oscillating between 83% and 90%.