Investigation on the physical properties of C-doped ZnO thin films deposited by the thermionic vacuum arc

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine some physical properties of C-doped ZnO coated on a glass substrate by using the thermionic vacuum arc method. The produced C-doped ZnO thin film is characterized by using several analysis techniques. The produced thin film has a cubic crystal structure, high transmittance in the visible region, symmetrical surface distribution, and optical band gap energy of 3.34 eV. According to the XRD analysis of the produced thin film, it is a fullerene (C60)-doped polycrystalline ZnO. Hardness value and Young's modulus value were determined as 8 GPa and 140 GPa, respectively. These physical properties are adequate for future transparent electrode applications. © 2017, Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.