Formation of ZnO films using the SILAR method

The thin ZnO films were deposited using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The morphology, structure and composition of the thin ZnO films were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The optical properties of the thin ZnO layers, which were deposited onto glass substrates, were investigated using ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry (UV/Vis). It was found that the optical properties of the ZnO films depend on the composition of anionic precursor solutions, which were used for deposition of the ZnO layers. Moreover, the highest band gap energy of 3.86 eV was obtained for the ZnO layer when the 0.026 mol l–1 Na2B4O7 + 0.002 mol l–1 KMnO4 solution was used as the anionic precursor solution for the deposition of ZnO layers.