ZnO:Al thin films doped with different aluminum concentrations were deposited
onto glass substrates by rf-magnetron sputtering at ambient temperature
using, for the first time, nanocrystalline powder synthesized by the sol–gel
method. The aluminum doping concentration was varied from 2.0 to 4.5 at.%.
All the films exhibited an intensive (002) XRD peak, indicating that they have
c-axis-preferred orientation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force
microscopy (AFM) were used to study the morphology of the films. They have a typical
columnar structure and a very smooth surface. The optical transmittance spectra
showed a good transmittance higher than 90% within the visible region. The best
conductors, with an optical band gap of 3.46 eV and a minimum resistivity of
5.4 × 10−4 Ω cm, were obtained for ZnO:Al films containing 3.0 at.% of aluminum. Due to their good optical
and electrical properties, ZnO:Al films are promising candidates for use as transparent
electrodes in solar cells.
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