Zn_1-xMe_xO (Me- Mn, Co, Ni) thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition and rf magnetron sputtering methods. The composite targets were formed by mixing and pressing of ZnO, Mn₃O₄, CoO and NiO powders. The thin films were deposited on sapphire, quartz and glass substrates. The structure study confirms the formation of the hexagonal wurtzite ZnO without any secondary phase in transition metal (Mn, Co, Ni) - doped samples. The surface morphology of the thin films was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Different surface morphology AFM images were obtained depending on the film composition and growth conditions. Optical absorption spectra suggest of substitution Zn²⁺ ions in ZnO lattice by transition metal atoms. The shift of the absorption edge due to decrease the energy band gap with increasing cobalt content and complex dependence of the energy band gap on content of nickel was observed in optical absorption spectra of the studied films.

Date Published: 17 December 2013
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 9066, Eleventh International Conference on Correlation Optics, 906616 (17 December 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2048675

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9066:
Eleventh International Conference on Correlation Optics
Oleg Vyacheslavovich Angelsky, Editor(s)