EFFECT OF NOZZLE-SUBSTRATE DISTANCE ON ELECTRICAL, STRUCTURAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF SnO2 THIN FILMS PREPARED BY SPRAY PYROLYSIS

The physical, electrical and optical properties of SnO2 (TO) thin films deposited using spray pyrolysis technique at different nozzle-to-substrate distances were reported. The solutions consisted of diluted SnCl2.2H2O were sprayed on hot glass substrate which temperature was in 400±5 ˚C. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Uv-vis spectrophotometer and van der Pauw configuration studies had been performed on TO films coated on optical glass substrates. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed the presence of tetragonal crystal structure with (301) preferential orientation for all films. The grain size of the films varied from 23.78 nm to 29.74 nm at different nozzle- substrate distances. The film deposited at 40 cm nozzle-substrate distance had minimum sheet resistance of 3.233 Ω/cm2 and had maximum transmittance at 550 nm of 59.55 %. The best films deposited with optimum nozzle-to-substrate distance (NSD) of 40 cm.