Effects of the pre-annealing temperature on structural and optical properties of sol-gel deposited aluminium doped zinc oxide

Highly transparent aluminium doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films were deposited by the sol-gel deposition technique. The effects of various pre-sintering temperatures on the film׳s structural, optical and electrical properties were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, photoluminescence emission measurements, UV-vis spectroscopy and electrical characterization. It was found that the pre-sintering temperature greatly affected the film׳s structural properties and resulted in an almost 100% increase in grain size within the investigated experimental window. Photoluminescence emission and photovoltaic measurements confirmed that the best optoelectronic properties of AZO thin films can be achieved with a pre-sintering temperature of 400 °C.