Effect of deposition parameters and strontium doping on characteristics of nanostructured ZnO thin film by chemical bath deposition method

Polycrystalline thin films of ZnO and Sr-doped ZnO (ZnO:Sr) on ultrasonically cleaned soda lime glass substrates are synthesized through successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction. The XRD profiles of ZnO and ZnO:Sr films prepared at different number of deposition cycles exhibit hexagonal wurtzite structure with preferred orientation along (002) direction. The crystallites are found to be nano sized, having variation in size with the increase in number of depositions cycles and also with Sr doping. Optical absorbance studies reveal a systematically controllable blueshift in band gap of Sr-doped ZnO films. SEM images indicate enhanced assembling of crystallites to form elongated rods as number of dips increased in Sr doped ZnO. The films are found to be n-type with the Sr doping having little effect on the electrical properties.