On the effect of acetic acid on physical properties of chemically sprayed fluorine-doped ZnO thin films

Fluorine-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:F) thin films onto sodocalcic glass substrates, starting from a highly concentrated starting solution (0.4 M) containing zinc acetate and hydrofluoric acid diluted in a mixture of deionized water, acetic acid , and methanol, using the chemical spray deposition technique, were deposited and characterized. The effect of the acetic acid content in the starting solution, and the substrate temperature on the electrical resistivity, structure, morphology and optical characteristics was studied. The samples were polycrystalline in nature, but as the acetic acid content in the starting solution increases, the preferential orientation shows a switching from (002) to (101). For a predetermined deposition temperature, as the acetic acid content increases, the film resistivity values show an increase. The minimum resistivity in the order of 6 × 10− 3 Ω cm was found for the films deposited with the lowest acetic acid content used. The surface morphology varies from agglomerated grains to rod-like shaped grains as a function of the acetic acid content.