Structural and optical properties of Ni-doped ZnO thin films as TCO material, fabricated by pulsed laser deposition method

Thin transparent layers of zinc oxide doped with nickel ions were obtained using the pulsed laser deposition method. The content of nickel ions in the initial solid solution was 1 -10 %. The crystallographic structure was studied by X-ray diffraction. Measurements show that the fabricated layer crystallizes in the wurtzite phase and has a dominant orientation along the c -axis. The texture coefficient, grain size, and crystal lattice constants were calculated. The absorption coefficient of the layers was calculated from the transmission spectra of ultraviolet -visible light - near infrared. Photocurrent spectra were investigated. The composition of the layers significantly affects the optical constants. Ni -doped ZnO layers can find applications in optoelectronic devices.