Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO/Glass Thin Films Grown by Radio-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering with a Powder Target

Abstract

This paper reports the structural and optical properties of ZnO/glass thin films grown by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering with a powder target. In contrast to ZnO ceramic target typically used, a ZnO raw powder target was sputtered in this study. ZnO grew with the (0002) preferred orientation along the surface normal direction. Initially, the surface of ZnO thin films was flat considerably and then it became rougher as the thickness increased. The optical transmittance was as high as 88% in the range of 400-1000 nm. The bandgap energy of 3.23 eV at the 220 nm thick sample was estimated.