Influence of laser doping on nanocrystalline ZnO thin films gas sensors

The effect of laser doping of Al on the gas sensing behavior of nanocrystalline ZnO thin films is reported. The doping of Al was carried out by the spin-coating of Al-precursors on nanocrystalline ZnO films followed by a pulsed laser irradiation. The laser-doped films were characterized as a function of laser power density by measuring the optical, structural, electrical, morphological and gas sensing properties of ZnO films. It was found that the laser doping process resulted in an increase of electrical conductivity of ZnO films. The performance of gas sensor was investigated for different concentrations of H2 and NH3 in the air. The results indicate that the laser doping process can be utilized to improve the sensor characteristics such as sensitivity and response time by optimization of laser power density. The optimum laser power is interpreted as the critical power level required to compete the effective doping versus developing the effective grain boundaries. Also, the selectivity of laser-doped ZnO sensors for H2 was studied for a likelihood practical gas mixture composed of H2, NH3 and CH4. It is found that these films can be optimized to develop H2 and NH3 sensors in PPM level with a higher selectivity over other reducing gases.