Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
11008956 | Superlattices and Microstructures | 2018 | 33 Pages |
Abstract
In this study, for the first time, rare earth element gadolinium and aluminum co-doped zinc oxide (Gd:AZO) films were prepared on insulating glass plates using cost-effective nebulizer spray method with various Gd co-doping levels (0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5â¯at.%). The deposited ï¬lms were characterized using X-ray diffraction, FT-Raman, AFM, EDAX, UV-VIS spectroscopy, Photoluminescence (PL) spectrum and Hall Effect measurement at room temperature. From XRD study, it is confirmed that the Gd and Al ions are incorporated into ZnO lattice. Film crystallinity is slightly reduced due to Gd content by increasing lattice defects. Topology of AFM images displays a slight increase of Gd:AZO thin film roughness from 20â¯nm to 36â¯nm, with an increase of thickness from 232 to 324â¯nm respectively. Elemental mapping and EDAX studies confirmed the existence of Zn, O, Al and Gd elements in the prepared Gd:AZO thin films. Spray deposited pristine AZO ï¬lms showed maximum optical transmittance â¼91% in entire wavelength spectrum and energy gap value â¼3.31eV. The observed PL spectra showed as a UV emission at 387â¯nm for deposited ï¬lms. The obtained minimum resistivity and maximum figure of merit values are 3.42â¯Ãâ¯10â4Ωcm, and 18.68â¯Ãâ¯10â3(Ω/sq)â1, respectively for 1.5â¯at.% Gd co-doped AZO thin film. Both values are decent enough for opto-electronic devices.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Materials Science
Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
Authors
V. Anand, A. Sakthivelu, K. Deva Arun Kumar, S. Valanarasu, V. Ganesh, Mohd Shkir, A. Kathalingam, S. AlFaify,