ZnO is the utmost examined n-type material in photovoltaic research due to its excellent properties including high transparency, bandgap, large exciton binding energy, and notable electron mobility. In this study, ZnO thin films have been synthesized on both glass and thin Cu foil through successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) using isopropyl alcohol as a dispersant at different temperature ranges. The film growth condition such as growth temperature, fabrication cycle, dispersant agent, sonication process, and the post-annealing temperature was carefully observed during the fabrication and have found that each of the parameters has a potential influence on ZnO thin films. XRD pattern revealed that all the films were polycrystalline wurtzite nature with (002) preferential growth on glass, while (101) on Cu foil. The crystallinity of the deposited ZnO films was closely associated with both the deposition and post-annealing temperature. Compact and uniformly distributed spherical grains of high-quality ZnO were detected by SEM micrographs. From optical absorption analyses, pure phase ZnO films exhibited a direct transition at Eg = (3.37 - 3.47) and (2.98 - 3.28) eV for the as-deposited and annealed films, respectively. The films deposited at 500C showed highly crystalline c-axis oriented best quality ZnO with a bandgap of 3.37 eV. XRD, Raman, and optical analysis confirmed CuxO/ZnO heterojunction while the Cu/ZnO layer was annealed in ambient at 2500C. The characteristic diode-like behavior of CuxO/ZnO heterojunction was further verified by the I-V curve. These outcomes could eventually attract significant attention in the photovoltaic community and research into the advancement of eco-friendly low-cost ZnO-based optoelectronic devices.

Fabrication and characterization of the physical properties of ZnO thin films in presence of isopropyl alcohol by SILAR method for photovoltaic application

ACS Fall 2021

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