Physical properties of ZnO thin films deposited at various substrate temperatures using spray pyrolysis

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films have been deposited with various substrate temperatures by spray pyrolysis technique onto glass substrates. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed the random growth orientation of the crystallites and the presence of the wurtzite phase of ZnO. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements reveal the presence of Zn2+ and chemisorbed oxygen in ZnO thin films. Atomic force micrograms (AFM) revealed a granular, polycrystalline morphology for the films. The grain size is found to increase as the substrate temperature increases. All films exhibit a transmittance of about 85% in the visible region. The photoluminescence (PL) measurements indicated that the intensity of emission peaks significantly varying with substrate temperature. Electrical resistivity has been found to decrease; while the carrier concentration increases with substrate temperature.