Nanocrystalline Nickel Oxide (NiO) Thin Films Grown on Quartz Substrates: Influence Of Annealing Temperatures

Abstract

In the present investigation, nanocrystalline NiO thin films were prepared by thermal oxidation annealing of DC magnetron sputtered Ni thin films on quartz substrates. The effect of annealing temperature on the films structural, morphological and optical properties was investigated. The XRD analysis shows that all prepared films were of NiO with cubic structure and (200) orientation. The thickness of NiO films was in range of 40-100 nm. The average crystallite size is found to increase from 16 to 36 nm and the optical band gap energy decreases from 3.62 to 3.38 eV by increasing the annealing temperature from 400• C to 600• C. The AFM and SEM results show that the annealing temperature effectively influences the surface morphology of the films.

Effect of silver thickness on structural, optical and morphological properties of nanocrystalline Ag/NiO thin films

“…Several techniques have been used to prepare NiO thin films, including pulsed laser deposition [5], plasma oxidation [7], DC and RF magnetron sputtering [8][9][10][11][12], sol-gel [13,14] and so on. In addition to these preparation methods, NiO films can also be prepared by thermal oxidation of nickel film [16]. This method, compared to other techniques, is low cost, efficient and convenient.…”

Solution-Processed NiO as a Hole Injection Layer for Stable Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes

“…This transmittance value is either similar to or higher than the alternative inorganic materials for HIL [11,15]. As shown in Figure 2a, the transmittance of films annealed at elevated temperatures increases because of the improved crystalline microstructure [16]. Because the materials under the EML inevitably absorb light emitted from the QDs in the bottom emission structure, the transmittance must be ensured before the fabrication of the devices.…”

Structural and chemical properties of NiOx thin films: the role of oxygen vacancies in NiOOH formation in a H2O atmosphere

“…Certainly, the annealing will have an impact since it is known that under certain conditions, sample temperatures above 400 1C can change the surface morphology and structure of NiO x towards a higher degree of roughness. 46,66,67 O and Ni atoms can be very mobile at elevated temperatures in an O 2 atmosphere. 53 Moreover, when water is split at the NiO x surface according to the reaction H 2 O -OH À + H + , the diffusion of hydrogen along defect structures, e.g., step edges or holes as shown in ESI † Fig.…”