A Systematic Study of Solution Aging Time Impact on Surface Morphology of Sol-Gel Derived ZnO Thin Films

Abstract:

Pure ZnO thin films were spin coated on glass substrates using 0.5M Zinc acetate dihydrate precursor solution and then annealed at 500°C for 2h in air to get good quality thin films. The effect of sol-aging time, from as-synthesized to 4week aged, on microstructure and morphology of ZnO thin films was investigated. X-ray diffraction spectra revealed the polycrystalline wurtzite structure preferentially oriented along the (002) polar plane with variable peak intensity. AFM analysis exposed an asymmetrical cyclic morphology transition with sol-aging time from comparatively smooth surfaces with small spherical particles to a rigid wrinkle network of a high rms surface roughness value of at～42.4nm which finally untied and evolved as homogeneous surface of uniform grain distribution after 4 weeks of aging time. The minimum surface roughness of 1.6nm was obtained for the film prepared from 24h aged solution.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volume 216)
• Pages: 271-277
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.216.271
• Online since: March 2011
• Authors: Babar Shahzad, Yang Qi
• Keywords: Grain Size, pH, Sol-Aging Time, Surface Morphology, Surface Roughness (SR)

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