Effect of thickness on the structural and optical properties of ZnO films by r.f. magnetron sputtering

In this study, the ZnO films were deposited to different thicknesses by r.f. magnetron sputtering. X-Ray diffraction and pole-figure analysis were used to study the crystallinity and crystal orientation. The results showed that ZnO films deposited to a thickness below 500 nm were polycrystalline with a c-axis preferential orientation. However, ZnO films, 500 or 600 nm in thickness, exhibited good self-texture. The optical properties of ZnO films did not depend significantly on the crystallographic orientation or degree of texturing. They were mainly affected by the grain size and carrier concentration.