Abstract

By adding fluorine, an anionic co-dopant with antimony, a cationic dopant, Sb + F doped ZnO films are prepared using a simplified spray technique and the effect of fluorine concentration (0, 5,10 and 15 at.%) on electrical, optical, structural and surface morphological properties are studied. The results show that the resistivity of ZnO:Sb:F film decreases gradually with the increase in F doping level, reaches a minimum value of 7.27 x 10(-3) Omega cm at 10 at.% and starts increasing thereafter. The possible mechanisms for this variation in resistivity are addressed. The optical transmittance slightly improves due to F doping. The surface morphological studies reveal that the shape and size of the grains are affected remarkably by Sb doping but not affected appreciably by the additional F doping. The XRD, XPS and EDAX analyses confirm the formation of hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure and the presence of the expected elements in the final product. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.