Structural and optical properties of the nanocrystalline ZnO films prepared by Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction

In this paper, we report on Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films grown by means of simple and cost effective method: Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR). All the depositions were performed on cheap glass substrates at room temperature. Annealing temperatures and film thickness effect on the structural, morphological and optical properties of the films were investigated. The as-deposited films were annealed at 300 and 400°C for 1 h under oxygen atmosphere. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterizations showed that the films covered the whole glass substrates and exhibit the wurtzite hexagonal structure. All the films are nanostructured. The film thickness effect on the band gap values was investigated and band gap values were found to vary within the range 3.2 - 3.8 eV depending on the growth conditions.