Crystallinity, Transmittance and Surface Morphology of ZnO Films Prepared from Zinc Nitrate by Sol-Gel Process

Abstract

ZnO thin films were prepared from zinc nitrate using an aqueous solution and an ethanolic solution. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analyses were performed for the gel. Crystallinity, optical properties and surface morphology of the thin films deposited on glass substrates by dip-coating process from the aqueous and the ethanolic solutions were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectrometry (UV-VIS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The films fabricated from the aqueous solution crystallized at temperatures higher than those fabricated from ethanolic solution. The film prepared from the ethanolic solution exhibited high preferred orientation along c axis in comparison with that from the aqueous solution.