Parametric Study of Sol Gel Technique for Fabricating ZnO Thin Films

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films were prepared by sol gel method. Zinc acetate dehydrate, Methanol and Diethanolamine were used as a starting material, solvent and stabilizer respectively. The influence of aging time (18, 24 and 48 hours), annealing temperature (300, 400 and 500 °C) and spinning speed (1500, 2500 and 3500 rpm) on crystal size and surface roughness of the thin films was investigated using L9 Orthogonal Array. Structural and Morphological characteristics of the films were analysed by Atomic Force Microscopy and X-Ray Diffractometer. Annealing temperature had 84.53% influence on crystal size and 81.07% on surface roughness of the films. Grey Relation Analysis indicated that parameter levels of 48 hours, 1500 rpm and 300 °C yields crystal size of 20.79 nm and surface roughness of 186.97 nm.