Studying the Optical Density, Topography, and Structural Properties of CZO and CAZO Thin Films at Different Annealing Temperatures

In this paper, CAZO and CZO thin films were deposited on quartz substrates by radio frequency magnetic sputtering and annealed at different temperatures of 400, 500, and 600°C. One of the most structural studies of thin-film materials is the analysis of the results that are obtained from AFM images. The most variations in optical density of CZO and CAZO thin films were at energy points to about 3eV and 4eV, respectively. Fractal dimensions and structural properties of films, as well as the optical density of CZO and CAZO thin films, were investigated. The AFM images were used to estimate the lateral size of the nanoparticles on the surface of the films. Annealed films at 500°Chad the maximum values for the lateral size of the nanoparticles. These values for the as-deposited films and annealed films at different temperatures of 400, 500, and 600°C were about 7.9,8.1, 6.5, and 7.75nm for CZO thin films, respectively. In addition, the lateral size of CAZO thin films was about 6.8, 6.27, 6.04, and 6.71, respectively. Films that annealed at 500°Chad the minimum value of fractal dimensions. The power spectral density of all films reflects the inverse power low variations, especially in the high spatial frequency region, indicating the presence of fractal components in prominent topographies. The maximum variations in the bearing area were as much as 0.015μm and 0.01μm for CZO thin films and CAZO thin films, respectively.