Effect of thickness on properties of Mn-doped ZnO thin films for solar cell application
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Date
2025
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
UNIVERSITE MOHAMED BOUDIAF - M’SILA
Abstract
In this study, manganese-doped zinc oxide (MZO) thin films with a fixed Mn content of 7% and
varying coating numbers (1, 2, and 4 layers) were synthesized using the sol–gel spin coating method.
Manganese acetate tetrahydrate, zinc acetate dihydrate, and isopropanol were employed as the dopant source,
precursor, and stabilizing solvent, respectively. XRD analysis revealed that all MZO thin films exhibited a
polycrystalline structure with a wurtzite hexagonal phase. The preferred orientation along the (002) plane was
observed. The crystallite size decreased while the lattice strain increased with film thickness. Surface
morphology analysis using FESEM and AFM indicated irregular grain distribution and a gradual increase in
surface roughness. Optical measurements showed that the transmittance of the films in the visible region
decreased with increasing thickness, while the optical band gap exhibited a red shift, narrowing from 3.15 eV
to 2.03 eV. These results demonstrate that Mn doping and layer control significantly affect the structural,
morphological, and optical properties of ZnO thin films, making them promising candidates for solar cell
application.
Description
Keywords
Manganese -doped zinc oxide thin films, Sol-gel technique, Eg, Spin coating method, solar cell application.