Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1526655 | Materials Chemistry and Physics | 2008 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Preferentially oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films on basal plane sapphire have been deposited by spin coating polymeric precursors synthesized via Pechini process. The polymeric precursors were synthesized using citric acid as chelating agent and ethylene glycol as reaction medium. The effects of annealing (from 673Â K to 1273Â K) on surface morphology, crystallinity, and optical properties were examined. XRD results illustrate polycrystalline ZnO thin films with preferred orientation along (0Â 0Â 2) plane that increases with an increase in annealing temperature. The textured ZnO films were obtained on annealing for 10Â min at 1173Â K without the formation of interfacial spinels. Surface morphology of these films changed from spherical to highly faceted grains. Transmission spectra reveal that all films are >70% transparent except for the sample annealed at 1273Â K, which has 45% optical transparency in the visible region. Room temperature photoluminescence spectra revealed broad ultraviolet emission centered at 380Â nm without deep-level emission, suggesting high quality ZnO thin films.
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Authors
Uma Choppali, Brian P. Gorman,