Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Alloys and Compounds, cilt.1030, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
ZnO thin films hold immense technological significance across a range of applications, encompassing electronics, optics, sensors, and energy devices. Therefore, enhancing both their mechanical properties and opto-electronic properties stands as an imperative endeavor. In this line, this study has been performed to investigate the relationship between mechanical and physical properties of ZnO as a consequence of Aluminum doping as well as post-annealing. In this context, ZnO and 1 % Al-doped ZnO films were deposited onto glass substrates through ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) technique and annealed at various temperatures. Aluminum doping brought about significant alteration in the crystallinity and mechanical properties of the films. Additionally, the nanoflake and rod-like morphology observed in ZnO films underwent a shift towards a granular morphology due to Al-doping. The optical transparency of the films reached a maximum of 85 % in the visible region. The optical band gap values exhibited variations within the range of 3.29–3.22 eV. Moreover, the hardness and Young's modulus values were found to be in the range of 3.20–6.96 GPa and 67.83–86.71 GPa, respectively. Electrical properties were affected by the annealing due to the change of oxygen in the film composition as well as the doping of Al. Consequently, both the annealing temperatures and Aluminum doping played pivotal roles in influencing the properties of the ZnO films.