The effect of Co and Cu co-doping ZnO thin films on structural and optical properties

Using a spray pneumatic technique, cobalt (Co) and copper (Cu) co-doped zinc oxide thin films were effectively deposited on a glass substrate. The goal of this work was to create a semiconductor with good optical and electrical properties by co-doping ZnO thin films with Cu and Co. The ZnO thin films obtained from the Co and Cu co-doping exhibit patterns of x-ray diffraction spectra that suggest they are hexagonal ZnO (wurtzite, JCPDS 36-1451). The thin film elaborated with 2 % Co and 7 % Cu has the lowest value of crystallite size (D = 14.67 nm). The transmission spectra demonstrate that all films have good optical transparency in the visible spectrum, with 7 % Cu achieving the highest transmission. Increasing Cu contents raised the band gap energy. The value at the minimum was 3.31 eV. The optical band gap’s broadening is a significant characteristic of advanced materials and may be useful in applications involving metal oxide nanostructures for visible light gas sensing.