Optical Analysis of Co-doped ZnO Thin Films Based on Nanoparticles

Abstract

Abstract: The effect of cobalt doping with a concentration of 3 at. % on the structural and optical properties of ZnO oxide nanoparticles (NPs) prepared via a modified sol-gel method was investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis using Rietveld refinement confirms the hexagonal wurtzite ZnO phase nanostructure belonging to P63mc space group. No segregated secondary phases or Co-rich clusters were detected. In the second step, the obtained powders were deposited on a Suprasil glass substrate by the pulsed laser deposition technique. X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement confirms that the thin film exhibits an intense (002) XRD peak, indicating that it has a c-axis-preferred orientation. Raman studies confirm the crystalline nature of Co-doped ZnO thin films and nanoparticles. The combination of these two synthesis techniques demonstrates the potential of the protocol for the deposition of thin layers with adjusted properties.

Keywords: Nanoparticles, Thin film, Pulsed laser deposition technique, Gap energy, Raman spectra.