The Effect of Al and Sn Doping on the Optical and Electrical Properties of ZnO Nanostructures

Abstract

: This work presents a comparison between the impact of Al and Sn doping on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures (NSs). The samples have been synthesized using the well-known chemical vapor deposition at optimized conditions of temperature and ambient gas. The formation of the hexagonal Wurtzite structure of the ZnO has been confirmed using the x-ray diffraction technique. The impact of doping by Al and Sn on the morphology and particle shapes of ZnO has been explored using a field emission scanning electron microscope. The Kubelka-Munk's and Tauc’s equations have been used for studying the optical properties while the Burstein Moss shift effect has been employed to explain the increase in the optical energy gap upon doping. The undoped and doped nanostructures show typical semiconductor features and the electrical conduction mechanisms have been described using Arrhenius's model.