Influence of Zn doping on nanostructured Bi2O3 thin films

Nanostructured Zn doped Bi2O3 thin films was spray deposited on the glass substrate at the optimized temperature of 250C. The structural studies confirm that the prepared film has β-phase tetragonal structure with polycrystalline nature. The grain size was calculated to be around 30 to 40 nm. The annealing effect improves the crystallinity and reduces the defect present in the film. The nanoflake like morphology was seen in the surface studies, upon annealing an even nanoflake was seen on the film. From the optical studies the band gap of the film is found to be 3.25 eV and on annealing the band gap decreases to 2.8 eV. The transmittance varies between 30 % 35% for as deposited film and 20% 28% for annealed film. The electrical studies confirm the semiconducting nature of the film. The resistance of the annealed film is more than the resistance of the as deposited film. The influence of Zn incorporation and annealing effect on the electronic properties of Bi2O3 is discussed and reported.