Structural and opto-electrical properties of pyrolized ZnO-CdO crystalline thin films

A series of ZnO-CdO thin films of different molar ratios of Zn and Cd have been deposited on glass substrate at substrate temperature similar to 360 degrees C by the spray pyrolysis technique at an ambient atmosphere. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the polycrystalline nature of the film and modulated crystal structures of wurtzite (ZnO) and cubic (CdO) are formed. The evaluated lattice parameters, and crystallite size are consistent with literature. Dislocation density and strain increased in the film as the grain sizes of ZnO and CdO are decreased. The band gap energy varies from 3.20 to 2.21 eV depending on the Zn/Cd ratios in the film. An incident photon intensity dependent I-V study confirmed that the films are highly photosensitive. Current increased with the increase of the intensity of the light beam. The optical conductivity and the optical constants, such as extinction coefficient, refractive index and complex dielectric constants are evaluated from transmittance and reflectance spectra of the films and these parameters are found to be sensitive to photon energy and displayed intermediate optical properties between ZnO and CdO, making it preferable for applications as the buffer and window layers in solar cells.