STRUCTURAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF ZnO:Ga THIN FILMS DEPOSITED ON ITO/GLASS SUBSTRATES FOR OPTOELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS

Doped (with GaCl 3 ), undoped ZnO and ITO/ZnO:Ga nanostructured thin films are synthesized using the spray pyrolysis method. The doped ZnO thin films are synthesized at the atomic ratio of Ga/Zn added in the starting solution fixed at 1, 2, 3, and 5. Gallium-doped ZnO films synthesized on glass/ITO substrates are annealed at 450C in different environments: vacuum, oxygen, and hydrogen. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and current–voltage (I–V) measurements are applied to characterize the structural properties, composition, surface morphology, and electrical properties of ZnO:Ga nanostructured thin films. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that ZnO:Ga films deposited on glass substrates have a dense and homogeneous surface with a hexagonal structure. The ZnO:Ga films deposited on glass/ITO substrates are composed of two phases, namely, hexagonal ZnO and cubic ITO. The I–V characteristics show the presence of good ohmic contacts between Al and In metals and ZnO:Ga thin films regardless of the nature of the substrate and the annealing atmosphere.