Effects of Lithium Salt on Optical and Structural Properties of ZnO Thin Films

Abstract

Thin film semiconductors are broadly applied in optical and energy conversion devices. Some thin films comprise titanium dioxide, tin oxide, and zinc oxide. The characteristics of the thin films can be changed according to their application. Zinc oxide semiconductors thin films were combined with different concentrations of LiClO4, varying between 5 and 15% weight percentage. This study aimed to qualify and quantify the morphological, structure, and optical changes in ZnO affected by the presence of lithium salt in the microstructure. The x-ray measurements demonstrated larger polycrystalline sizes, a maximum of 57.53 nm. The band gap energy values lowered to 3.16 eV, lower than the usual 3.37 eV, and reflectance values reached 80%.