Effect of swift heavy ion irradiation on structural, optical and electrical properties of spray deposited CdO thin films

Thin films of cadmium oxide have been deposited on glass substrate using the spray pyrolysis technique. The prepared films are irradiated with 120 MeV swift Ag9+ ions for fluence in the range of 1×1012–1×1013 ions cm−2 and their structural properties are studied by glancing angle X-ray diffraction. The films exhibit cubic crystal structure. It is observed that the irradiated films are amorphized at higher fluence of 1×1013 ions cm−2. Surface morphology studies by atomic force microscopy show that the pristine film has a surface roughness of 39.80 nm and it decreases with increase in ion fluence. The optical transmittance spectra show a decrease in transmittance with increase in fluence and the band gap value also decreases due to irradiation.