Effect of Mn doping on the structural and optical properties of ZnO films

Undoped and Mn doped ZnO films with different doping concentration were synthesized by sol gel method using a spin coating technique. Zn_1-xMn_xO thin films are prepared using 2-methoxyethanol solution of zinc acetate dehydrate and manganese acetate tetrahydrate. The solution was stabilized by MEA. The quantity of Mn in the sol was varied from x = 0, 0.02 and 0.04 with annealing temperature of 700°C. The samples were characterized using AFM to investigate the surface morphology and nanostructures. The XRD analysis shows the crystalline structure and orientation of the films. The films exhibit hexagonal wurtzite structure and improved crystalline quality by increasing the Mn doping. Meanwhile, the optical properties were characterized using UV-Vis where the transmittance and band gap decreases upon increment of Mn concentration.