Comparative study of structural properties of ZnO thin films prepared by different sol-gel route

The ZnO thin films were prepared from zinc acetate dihydrate as main precursor by using sol-gel method and deposited by drainage and dip coating technique. Four different routes and coating techniques were used for the preparation of samples. The morphology and structural properties of the sol-gel made ZnO thin films were studied with respect to the preparation of sol-gel route, drainage and dip coating technique. The microstructure of the ZnO thin films and the powders were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The ZnO thin films prepared in this study were amorphous while its powders were polycrystalline with various diffraction peaks in the X-ray diffraction patterns. The morphology of the film was examined by using scanning electron microscopy. The surface morphology of the ZnO thin films strongly depends on preparation route and deposition technique.