Characterization of ZnO films produced by thermal evaporation and oxidation

ZnO nanostructures such as nanowires and nanorods are beneficial in solar energy harvesting because they provide a structure with a large surface area. Also, they provide a direct pathway to electron transportation, eliminating the scope for grain boundary scattering. In this investigation, thin ZnO films were prepared by thermal evaporation of the Zn metal, which was followed by oxidation. Evaporation parameters and oxidation temperatures were fixed. The oxidation duration was the variable. The effect of oxidation time, on the morphology and structural properties were studied by using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. The study shows that with increase in oxidation time, the morphology changed to nanorods from initial flake morphology. As a function of oxidation time, the crystallinity and texture became more dominant. By using, I-V characteristic curves, it was found that the morphology changes alter the surface electrical conductivity of the prepared ZnO films.