Optical properties of Zn1−x Al x O:NiO transparent metal oxide composite thin films prepared by sol–gel method

Abstract

The films of Zn 1-x Al x O:NiO (AZO; Al/ Zn = 1.5 at.%, x = 0.5-2.0) were synthesized on glass substrates by sol-gel method. The morphological properties of the films were studied by atomic force microscopy. The surface morphology of the films is found to depend on the concentration of NiO. The optical band gap, Urbach energy and optical constants such as refractive index, extinction coefficient and real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant of the films were determined. The refractive index dispersion of the films obeys the singleoscillator model, and the single-oscillator parameters were determined. The optical band gap of ZnO film was found to be 3.76 eV, and the optical band gap of the films increases with NiO doping. The obtained results suggest that Zn 1-x Al x O:NiO films can be used as optical material in optical communication applications. Graphical AbstractKeywords AZO film Á Nickel oxide Á Transparent metal oxide film

Effect of Zn-Doping on the Structural, Optical, and Humidity Sensing Properties of Sol-Gel Synthesized NiO Thin Film

“…Thus, transmittance characteristics of optical thin film are significantly influenced and affected by the dopant concentration. This behavior may be connected to microstructural appearance of prepared films, as the photon scattering increases by crystal defects [16].…”