The influence of external magnetic field on the structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnO thin films prepared by dip coating method

ZnO thin films were prepared by the sol gel dip coating method. Some samples were prepared under a DC magnetic field DC-MF (B); others were done without it. The sol gel was also continuously stirred. The field orientation in each case of deposition was chosen perpendicular as well as parallel to the growing ZnO-film substrate and the film depositions were carried out at a fixed B intensity value. The influences of magnetic field on the structural, morphological, and optical properties of ZnO thin films were investigated. In the perpendicular case, a cubic structure phase was observed at ambient conditions. It is noteworthy that this phase growth is only possible at high pressure deposition. In the parallel case, the films improved the crystal structure without creating a new phase. The structural properties of the ZnO films such as surface morphology and crystallinity were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD), respectively. The optical properties of the ZnO films were characterized by the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy.