ZnO thin film synthesis by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Abstract In this study, ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by reactive RF magnetron sputtering method at argon–oxygen gas mixing (1:1) atmosphere. Some properties of the synthesized films were investigated by interferometry, UV–vis spectrophotometer, atomic force microscopy, and tensiometer. Tauc method was adopted to estimate the optical band gaps. The band gaps of the deposited films were affected by film thickness. We concluded that the surface composition plays a substantial role in the values of the band gaps. Nanocrystalline structures were detected in all produced samples.