Characterization of CZO thin films prepared by Sol-Gel dip coating technique with varied concentrations and annealed at different temperatures

Zinc Oxide (ZnO) thin films doped with Cobalt (Co) is prepared on glass substratum by using Sol-Gel dip coating technique. Volume of Cobalt can be varied from 0% to 2% and annealed at various temperatures. The obtained films analyzed by availing the results of Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction analysis (XRD) and Ultraviolet - Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The EDS result shows that Zn and Co particles are present in the thin films. The SEM result reveals that as concentration of the dopant increases subsequently the intermolecular space decreases and conductivity increases. The XRD pattern shows a dominant peak (002) and it confirms hexagonal wurtzite structure. The UV- Visible spectrum shows that the minimum range of absorbance occurs at the visible region. All these results show that the prepared films could be used as Transparent Conducting Oxides (TCO) in solar cells and other opto-electronic gadget applications.