ABSTRACT
Cd(x)Zn(1-x)O thin films were grown on quartz substrates by using the sol-gel spin-coating method. The mole fraction, x, of the Cd(x)Zn(1-x)O thin films was controlled from 0 to 1 by changes in the content ratio of the cadmium acetate dehydrate [Cd(CH3COO)2·(2H)2O] and zinc acetate dehydrate [Zn(CH3COO)2·(2H)2O]. The effects of the mole fraction on the morphological, structural, and optical properties of the Cd(x)Zn(1-x)O thin films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-visible spectroscopy. The Cd(x)Zn(1-x)O thin films exhibited the polygonal surface morphology and their grain size was increased ranging from 42.1 to 63.9 nm with the increase in the mole fraction. It was observed that the absorption bandgap of the Cd(x)Zn(1-x)O thin films decreased from 3.25 to 2.16 eV as the mole fraction increased and the Urbach energy (E(U)) values changed inversely to the optical bandgap of the Cd(x)Zn(1-x)O thin films.
keyword : zinc cadmium oxide, thin films, sol-gel, optical properties, X-ray diffraction
