Effect of temperature on the deposition of ZnO thin films by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction

► The effect of the temperature treatment in ethylene glycol on the structure and optical properties of the ZnO films fabricated by SILAR is studied. ► At very high temperatures (>145 °C), PL and XPS data revealed that the rising temperature significantly affects the distribution of defects in the films. ► At low temperatures, a large number of these defects, mostly oxygen defects attributable to Zn(OH)2 in the films, were observed.