Effect of substrate temperature on the characteristics of ZnO films produced by a combination of thermal vapor deposition and oxidation processes

In the present work, ZnO semiconductor films were prepared by following two step processes, namely, thermal vapor deposition of the zinc on the glass substrate followed by oxidative annealing. Substrate temperature during deposition of the zinc was varied. Structural properties and morphology of the ZnO films were investigated by using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Hydrophobic nature of the film was confirmed by using contact angle analyser. Hall measurements facilitated the estimation of the carrier concentration, their mobility and their effect on the conductivity. Photoluminescence spectroscopy was used to analyse the lattice defect concentration in the film. Further, the sensor response of the ZnO film to CO gas was analysed. Sensor fabricated with ZnO films which were prepared by oxidizing Zn films deposited at higher substrate temperature were found to possess better response and faster response-recovery time than the film prepared using lower substrate temperature for zinc deposition.