Structural and Optical Properties of Sol-gel Prepared ZnO Thin Film

Abstract

In this work we have studied the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel spincoating process. Zinc acetate dihydrate was used as the precursor material. Thin films of ZnO were prepared onQuartz substrate post annealed at 400ºC, 500ºC and 600ºC. X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the films showedpolycrystalline nature. Scherrer’s formula was used to calculate crystallite size. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) study showed granular surface. The refractive index, extinction coefficient and thickness of the filmswere measured with spectroscopic Ellipsometry. The band gap and Urbach energy were calculated. Thephotoluminescence measurement revealed UV emission at ~ 380 nm.