Influences of film thickness and annealing temperature on properties of sol-gel derived ZnO-SnO2 nanocomposite thin film

In this study, ZnO-SnO2 nanocomposite thin film was prepared on glass substrates with different film thicknesses and annealing temperatures through a sol-gel method. From the results of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), it was deduced that the ZnO-SnO2 thin film could be sufficiently formed at approximately 500 degrees C. The XRD patterns showed enhanced crystallinity of the ZnO-SnO2 thin film with increasing film thickness and annealing temperature. However, it was also revealed that the crystallinity deteriorated when the film thickness and annealing temperature are 270 nm and 700 degrees C, respectively. The variation in electrical resistivity corresponded to intensities of the (0 0 2) diffraction peaks shown in the XRD patterns. It was also found that the increase of film thickness and annealing temperature led to rougher surface morphology and to an increase in grain size. The optical properties deteriorated with increasing film thickness and annealing temperature of the ZnO-SnO2 thin films. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.