Structural and morphological properties of sol-gel ZnO:Ni films

Ni doping induces modifications and considerable changes in the optical, electrical and magnetic properties of ZnO films. In this work, the influence is discussed of Ni-doping (two nickel concentrations) and annealing temperature (ranging from 300 ° C to 800 °C) on the structural and optical properties of sol-gel derived ZnO:Ni films. Uniform and smooth films were obtained by spin-coating on quartz and Si substrates. The ZnO:Ni films were crystallized in wurtzite phase with no impurity phases found for annealing temperatures up to 600 °C. The size of the crystallites was strongly affected by the Ni content and the heat treatment. Furthermore, the Ni doping improved the optical transparency of the sol-gel films, while the AFM studies showed that the film morphology and the roughness were influenced by the nickel doping. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.