Preparation of ZnO film on p-Si and I-V characteristics of p-Si/n-ZnO

Abstract

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on p-silicon (Si) substrate from ammonium zincate bath following a chemical dipping technique called SILAR. Films in the thickness range 0.5-4.5 µm could be prepared by varying the number of dipping for a fixed concentration (0.125 M) of zincate bath and fixed pH (11.00-11.10). Higher values of dipping produced nonadherent and poor quality films. Structural characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates the formation of polycrystalline single phase ZnO with strong c-axis orientation. The structural characteristics of the films were found to be a sensitive function of film thickness. The degree of orientation was found to be a function of film thickness and a maximum was found at around 2.2 µm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals the formation of sub-micrometer crystallites on silicon substrate. The coverage of crystallites (grains) on substrate surface increases with number of dipping. Dense film containing grains distributed throughout the surface is obtained at large thicknesses. The ohmic nature of silver (Ag) on ZnO and Aluminum (Al) on p-Si was confirmed by I-V measurements. I-V characteristic of the p-Si/n-ZnO heterojunction was studied and rectification was observed. The maximum value of forward to reverse current ratio was ~15 at 3.0 V.

All Solution‐Processed Chalcogenide Solar Cells – from Single Functional Layers Towards a 13.8% Efficient CIGS Device

“…[ 114 ] High performance ZnO:Al (AZO) fi lms with resistivity as low as 1-2 × 10 −4 Ω cm are deposited on industrial scale by magnetron sputtering [ 115 ] whereas ZnO:B (BZO) is grown by CVD. [ 116 ] Non-vacuum approaches for preparing conductive ZnO-based layers include sol-gel, [117][118][119] printing nanoparticle dispersions, [ 120,121 ] ED, [ 122 ] CBD, [123][124][125] SILAR, [126][127][128] and SP, [ 129 ] but high deposition or post-annealing temperatures of 300-600 °C are usually needed to achieve an adequate electrical resistivity in the range of low 10 −3 Ω cm. The solution growth of functional ZnO fi lms and nanostructures is reviewed by Lincot, [ 130 ] whereas the recent comprehensive review by Pasquarelli et al [ 131 ] summarizes available solution approaches for TCOs and alternative transparent conductors.…”

Influence of Preparation Technique on the Properties of In:CdS Thin Films

“…Between every immersion it is rinsed in distilled water or deionised water and the rinsing time is important for ionic layer formation. SILAR technique involves adsorption of a layer of complex ion on the substrate followed by reaction of the adsorbed ion layer [17]. So, the immersion programs which can alter the chemical distribution of the deposit layer by layer provides an opportunity to tailor CdS precursor deposits with homogeneous element distribution for easy phase synthesis in the subsequent processing [18].…”

Growth of Zn1−x CdxO nanocrystalline thin films by sol-gel method and their characterization for optoelectronic applications

“…This may lead to the narrowing of electronic structure of ZnO binary system and, as a result, to some decrease in the band gap of ZnO thin film. Hence, the optical properties of ZnO on Cd doping make it more attractive for optoelectronic devices [7,8].…”