Characterization of Different Metal Oxides Thin Films Deposited by Spin Coating Technique

Document Type : Original full papers (regular papers)

Authors

1 Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, El Fayoum 63514, Egypt

2 Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Islamic University of Madinah, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia

3 Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Fayoum University, El-Fayoum 63514, Egypt

Abstract

Designing and building up nanostructures that exhibit outstanding optical, electrical, mechanical, and magnetic properties, compared to bulk materials is attracting increasing attention worldwide. This work is an attempt to fabricate and characterize different metal oxides (MO) in the form of thin films that are applicable in diverse fields of industry and technology. Cobalt oxide (Co3O4), copper oxide (CuO), iridium oxide (IrO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), and cadmium oxide (CdO) thin films were prepared by the sol-gel method utilizing the spin-coating technique. The crystal structure of the films was analyzed by XRD. The films' morphology was investigated by AFM/FE-SEM. The optical properties of the films were studied in detail. XRD results indicated the high purity and good crystallinity of the prepared films. XRD and FE-SEM/AFM revealed the nanoscale and grain size of the films as well as their surface morphology and roughness. UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy was utilized to evaluate the optical properties and band structure of all films. ZnO and CdO films showed higher transmittance (79–89%) compared to about 62% for the other films. The optical band gap of the films was found to be in the range of 1.7–3.2 eV. The refractive index of the films was evaluated. The sol-gel spin-coated films are the best candidates for modern applications, including hydrogen production by water splitting, gas sensing, and optoelectronic applications. 

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