The doping effect on the properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) thin layers for photovoltaic applications

•We have elaborated thin layers of ZnO.•We have implemented the technique of ultrasonic spray.•We studied its properties by following its evolution for two deposit temperatures.•We studied the effect of In and Cu on ZnO thin film.•We studied effect of In and Cu on optical transmission and reflection of ZnO.

In this study, we experimentally elaborated Copper- and Indium-doped Zinc Oxide (Cu: ZnO and In: ZnO) thin films at different temperatures (T1 = 480 °C and T2 = 520 °C), the doping ratio were varied between 0% and 8%. Using a low cost solution-based chemical deposition, we have developed a ZnO thin film deposition process that offers fine-control of the surface morphology. It consists in spraying a volatile compound of the material to be deposited on a substrate maintained at high temperature to cause a chemical reaction in order to form at least one solid product. Therefore, the proposed ZnO doped layer is highly promising for applications for the next-generation solar cells.