Introduction: In this study, a simple and facile route was employed to prepare a highly transparent and luminescent ultra-thin gallium doped ZnO film (GZO).
Methods: The thin GZO film has been deposited using the simultaneously ultrasonic vibration and sol-gel spin-spray coating technique. The structural and optical properties of pure and doped thin films were investigated by various methods, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Vis, and PL spectroscopy.
Results: XRD results indicated that both pure and doped ZnO films had a hexagonal wurtzite structure with (101) preferred orientation. XPS and EDX studies confirmed the incorporation and presence of Ga ions into the ZnO lattice structure. The doped sample showed nearly 90% of transparency, and a strong blue-green emission in the visible region.
Conclusion: The obtained results proved that the prepared thin film could be a novel candidate for optoelectronic applications.