Effect of Al doping on the structural and optical properties of SnO2 thin films elaborated by sol-gel technique

• Published in: Journal of New Technology and Materials Vol. 7; no. 2; pp. 72 - 75
• Main Authors: Khashabah, M., Touati, S., Hanini, F., Bouabellou, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oum el-Bouaghi, Algeria Larbi Ben M'hidi Oum el-Bouaghi University 01.12.2017
• ISSN: 2170-161X; 2588-2082
• DOI: 10.12816/0044605

In this study, the influence of increasing of the Al concentration on the structural and optical properties of SnO2 thin films were investigated. Pure and aluminum-doped SnO2 thin films were prepared by sol–gel deposition method on glass and Si (100) substrates at room temperature and then annealed at 550°C in air. The obtained films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and UV–Vis spectrophotometry techniques. A single-phase rutile polycrystalline structure is revealed by XRD. The AFM analysis show that the surface morphology changes with Al concentration. The un-doped and Al-doped SnO2 thin films are transparent (86% optical transmittance) in the near UV-Vis, and the optical band gap is influenced by Al doping level.