γ irradiation induced effects on the TCO thin films

Abstract We report on gamma irradiation induced changes both in the optical and electrical properties of the Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) thin films. We used Co-60 radioisotope as a natural source of γ in our experiments. Applied total irradiation doses to the prepared samples change from 1 to 4 kGy. The dose rate is kept finely constant at 200 Gy/min. Optical transmissions in VIS-NIR region of electromagnetic spectrum and electrical conductivity (I-V) measurements on irradiated samples are conducted with respect to the total dose. Results show that regardless of the irradiation dose, there is no change in the current flow through the contacts on the TCO thin films after the irradiation. On the other hand, based on the on-line measurements, the current increases with the gamma irradiation and a threshold irradiation is detected in the optical properties of irradiated samples. Also, thin films are seen to preserve their initial amorphous structures at such a low irradiation doses according to XRD measurements. We propose that these thin films can be used in gamma sensors for both optical and electrical applications.