This study investigates the influence of Sn-In codoping on the structural, morphological, optical, and photoluminescence properties of ZnO thin films synthesized via spray pyrolysis. The doping concentrations were varied as 1-3 at.% (SIZO1), 3-3 at.% (SIZO3), and 5-3 at.% (SIZO5) for Sn and In, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed a preferential (002) orientation in undoped ZnO, which shifted to (101) in SIZO1 and SIZO3, while SIZO5 exhibited a mixed (002) and (100) orientation. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) showed a transformation from spherical nanoparticles in ZnO to spindle-shaped nanostructures in SIZO1, followed by distorted morphologies in SIZO3 and SIZO5, attributed to lattice strain and increased nucleation sites due to doping. Optical studies demonstrated a reduction in bandgap from 3.28 eV (ZnO) to 3.21 eV (SIZO1), with a slight increase at higher Sn concentrations (3.22–3.23 eV), suggesting bandgap tuning via codoping. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra exhibited near-band-edge emission at 393 nm alongside defect-related transitions at 440–670 nm, associated with intrinsic defects such as zinc vacancies (VZn), oxygen interstitials (Oi), and zinc interstitials (Zni). The PL intensity quenched in SIZO1 but increased in SIZO3 and SIZO5, indicating dopant-mediated defect engineering. These findings highlight the role of Sn-In codoping in modulating crystallinity, morphology, and optoelectronic properties of ZnO, making it a promising candidate for thin-film optoelectronic applications.
Sahoo et al. (Sun,) studied this question.
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