Influence of Al and Cu Doping on the Structure, Morphology, and Optical Properties of ZnO Thin Film

Faras Afifah (Research Center for Advanced Materials, National Research and Innovation Agency, Kawasan Puspiptek Serpong, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15314, Indonesia Department of Physics, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jl. Ir. H. Juanda, Cempaka Pu)
Arif Tjahjono (Department of Physics, Universitas Islam Negeri Syarif Hidayatullah, Jl. Ir. H. Juanda, Cempaka Putih, Jakarta 15412, Indonesia)
Aga Ridhova (Research Center for Metallurgy and Materials, National Research and Innovation Agency, Kawasan Puspiptek Serpong, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15314, Indonesia)
Pramitha Yuniar Diah Maulida (Nano Center Indonesia, Jl. Puspiptek, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15314, Indonesia)
Alfian Noviyanto (Nano Center Indonesia, Jl. Puspiptek, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15314, Indonesia Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mercu Buana University, Jl. Meruya Selatan, Kebun Jeruk, Jakarta 11650, Indonesia)
Didik Aryanto (Research Center for Advanced Materials, National Research and Innovation Agency, Kawasan Puspiptek Serpong, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15314, Indonesia)

Indonesian Journal of Chemistry
Vol 23, No 1 (2023)

In this study, ZnO thin films doped with Al (AZO) and Cu (CZO) were fabricated on a glass substrate via sol-gel spin coating. The influence of 1 atomic % Al and Cu doping on the structure, morphology, as well as optical properties of ZnO thin film was then analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. XRD analysis revealed that all samples possessed hexagonal wurtzite crystal structures with 3 to 4 preferred orientations. Al and Cu doping caused a decrease in crystal size, while the lattice strain (e) and dislocation density (ρ) were increased. AFM indicated that Al and Cu doping reduced the surface roughness of the ZnO thin film. Optical measurement showed that all samples exhibited high transmittance (> 80%) in the visible light region. Transmittance was reduced after doping, while the band gaps for ZnO, AZO, and CZO thin films are 3.26, 3.28, and 3.23 eV. This study showed that an addition of 1 atomic % transition metal (Al and Cu) greatly influences the structure, morphology, and optical properties of ZnO thin film.