Part 2: Background and Phase I Technical Objectives

Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films have been extensively studied because of their
variety of applications. Keeping in view the soaring need of low-cost TCOs that are required in
various fields of science and technology, transparent conducting ZnO thin films are emerging as
the most attractive alternative to ITO and various other TCOs [1]. ZnO is a very interesting
material for many different applications in both microelectronic and optoelectronic devices. It is
a wide-bandgap oxide semiconductor with a direct energy gap of about 3.37 eV. As a
consequence, ZnO absorbs UV radiation due to band-to-band transitions, while it can be used as
transparent conductive oxide (TCO) thin films, mainly for applications such as solar cells, liquid
crystal displays and heat mirrors [2]. From all the oxide materials studied, in the last few years,
zinc oxide (ZnO) has emerged as one of the most promising materials, due to its optical and
electrical properties, high chemical and mechanical stability, together with its abundance in
nature, which makes it a lower cost material when compared to the most currently used
transparent conductive oxide materials (ITO and SnO2) [2]. Several groups have already done
much research on ZnO by use of various film growth techniques, including RF/DC magnetron
sputtering, chemical bath deposition, reactive thermal vacuum evaporation, pulsed laser
deposition, sol-gel method, and spray pyrolysis [3]. Spray pyrolysis is a useful alternative to the
traditional methods for obtaining zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films, because of its simplicity, low cost,
vacuumless, and minimal waste production. The spray pyrolysis process allows the coating of
large surface and it is easy to include in an industrial production line. This technique is also
compatible with mass production systems. With spray pyrolysis, the solution is sprayed directly
onto the substrate (Fig. 2). A stream of gas, e.g. compressed air, can be used to help the
atomization of solution through the nozzle [3-4].

Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of spray pyrolysis equipment [5].

It is reported in earlier studies that substrate temperature and material doping (In, Ce, Eu, V, Sc,
Ga, and F) level have very strong effects on the surface morphology, optical, and electrical
properties of sprayed ZnO films [6-8].

Phase I Technical Objectives

The primary objective of Phase I is to carry out feasibility study to determine the optimum
substrate temperature and doping element to produce a highly transparent and conductive, as

1
well as wear and corrosion resistive zinc oxide films using spray pyrolysis deposition technique.
This work will be used as an input for Phase II, which will involve processing, testing, and
characterization of zinc oxide films.

A.9.4 Reference Cited:

[1] S.S. Shinde, P.S. Shinde, S.M. Pawar, A.V. Moholkar, C.H. Bhosale, K.Y. Rajpure,
“Physical properties of transparent and conducting sprayed fluorine doped zinc oxide thin
films”, Solid State Sciences 10 (2008) 1209-1214.
[2] A. Ashour, M.A. Kaid, N.Z. El-Sayed, A.A. Ibrahim, “Physical properties of ZnO thin films
deposited by spray pyrolysis technique”, Applied Surface Sciences 252 (2006) 7844-7848.
[3] C. Gumus, O.M. Ozkendir, H. Kavak, Y. Ufuktepe, “Structural and optical properties of zinc
oxide thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis method”, Journal of Optoelectronics and
Advanced Materials 8 (2006) 299-303.
[4] A.S. Riad, S.A. Mahmoud, A.A. Ibrahim, “Structural and DC electrical investigations of ZnO
thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis technique”, Physica B296 (2001) 319-325.
[5] D. Perednis, L.J. Gauckler, “Thin Film Deposition Using Spray Pyrolysis”, Journal of
Electroceramics 14 (2005) 103-111.
[6] K. Krunks, O. Bijakina, V. Mikli, T. Varema and E. Mellikov, “Zinc Oxide Thin Films by
Spray Pyrolysis Method”, Physica Scripta. T79 (1999) 209-212.
[7] M. de la L. Olvera, A. Maldonado, R. Asomoza, S. Tirado-Guerra, “Characteristics of
transparent and conductive undoped ZnO thin films obtained by chemical spray using zinc
pentanedionate”, Thin Solid Films 411 (2002) 198-202.
[8] F. Paraquay D., W. Estrada L., D.R. Acosta N., E. Andrade, M. Miki-Yoshida, “Growth,
Structure and optical characterization of high quality ZnO thin films obtained by spray
pyrolysis”, Thin Solid Films 350 (1999) 192-202.