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Influence of Post-Annealing on Some Properties of Confocal Radio Frequency Sputtered ZnO Thin Film

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Abstract:

ZnO thin films were deposited on borosilicate glass substrates by confocal radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and subsequently annealed in air at 300 °C and 500 °C for 60 min. The influence of thermal treatment on the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties was systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of a hexagonal wurtzite phase with a pronounced (002) preferential orientation. Rietveld refinement analysis revealed that annealing led to a decrease in the lattice parameter c from 5.344 Å to 5.220 Å, an increase in crystallite size from 9.3 nm to 34.1 nm, and a reduction in microstrain from 0.0265 to 0.0027. Raman spectroscopy exhibited a sharper E2high mode at 438 cm-1 and a suppressed defect-related A₁(LO) mode (583 cm-1), evidencing enhanced crystallinity and defect passivation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations revealed grain coalescence and densification with increasing annealing temperature. The average optical transmittance improved from 70.8% to 82.2%, accompanied by a slight widening of the optical band gap from 3.22 eV to 3.27 eV. Hall measurements indicated a marked decrease in resistivity from 2.7 × 10-2 Ω·cm to 5 × 10-3 Ω·cm, yielding a maximum figure of merit of 1.68 × 10-3 Ω-1 at 500 °C. Overall, post-deposition annealing is shown to significantly enhance crystallinity, reduce structural defects, and improve the optoelectronic performance of ZnO thin films, confirming their suitability for transparent electronics and photovoltaic applications.

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Journal of Nano Research Vol. 90 View Preview

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Journal of Nano Research (Volume 90)

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15-30

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https://doi.org/10.4028/p-V1mtDC

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December 2025

Authors:

Hocine Chikh Touami, Tahar Touam*

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Microstructure, Optoelectronics Properties, Post-Annealing, RF Confocal Sputtering, Zinc Oxide

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