Optical properties and electrical resistivity of boron-doped ZnO thin films grown by sol–gel dip-coating method

• Published in: Optical materials Vol. 35; no. 12; pp. 2418 - 2424
• Main Authors: Kim, Soaram, Yoon, Hyunsik, Kim, Do Yeob, Kim, Sung-O, Leem, Jae-Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01.10.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: B-doped; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Dip coatings; Electrical resistivity; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Optical constants: refractive index, complex dielectric constant, absorption, reflection and transmission coefficients, emissivity; Optical materials; Optical properties; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of bulk materials and thin films; Optics; Physics; Refractivity; Sol gel process; Sol–gel; Thin films; Transmittance; Wavelengths; Zinc oxide; Thin films; Zinc oxide; B-doped; Sol–gel; Electrical resistivity; Optical properties; Electrical conductivity; Refractive index; Transition element compounds; Binary compounds; Zinc Oxides; Quartz; Absorption coefficients; Transmittance; Sol―gel; Energy gap; II-VI semiconductors; Oscillator strengths; Optical materials; Dip coating; Permittivity; Sol-gel process
• ISSN: 0925-3467; 1873-1252
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optmat.2013.06.048

•B-doped ZnO thin films were grown on quartz substrate by sol–gel dip-coating method.•The thickness of the thin films decreased with increasing concentration of B in the thin films.•The effects of B doping on optical and electrical properties of the ZnO thin films were investigated. Sol–gel dip-coating was used to grow ZnO thin films doped with various concentrations of B ranging from 0 to 2.5at.% on quartz substrates. The effects of B doping on the absorption coefficient (α), optical band gap (Eg), Urbach energy (EU), refractive index (n), refractive index at infinite wavelength (n∞), extinction coefficient (k), single-oscillator energy (Eo), dispersion energy (Ed), average oscillator strength (So), average oscillator wavelength (λo), moments M−1 and M−3, dielectric constant (ε), optical conductivity (σ), and electrical resistivity (ρ) of the BZO thin films were investigated. The transmittance spectra of the ZnO and BZO thin films show that the transmittance of the BZO thin films was significantly higher than that of the ZnO thin films in the visible region of the spectrum and that the absorption edge of the BZO thin films was blue-shifted. The BZO thin films exhibited higher Eg, EU, and Eo and lower Ed, λo, M−1 and M−3 moments, So, n∞, and ρ than the ZnO thin films.