Optical and Electrical Properties of Mn-doped and Mn-Al co-doped ZnO Thin Films Annealed at Different Temperatures for Photosensor Applications

Mn-doped and Mn.Al co-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The X-ray diffraction results revealed that both films consisted of a single phase and had a wurtzite structure with a c-axis orientation. The electrical properties, transmittance characteristics, surface properties, and crystal structures of the films were investigated following annealing at temperatures ranging from 200 to 500 °C. The results showed that the as-deposited Mn:ZnO thin film had an average transmittance of 83%. The transmittance increased to 85% following annealing at 500 °C. The as-deposited Mn.Al co-doped ZnO thin film had a low transmittance of only 40%. However, after annealing at 500 °C, the transmittance increased to 83%. The annealed Mn-Al:ZnO thin film also showed a low electrical resistivity of 1.75 × 10^-3Ω·cm, an electron mobility of 20.8 cm2V^-1s^-1, and a carrier concentration of 5.3 × 10²⁰cm^-3. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the crystal size of both thin films increased following annealing. Owing to their good optical and electrical properties, the annealed Mn-Al:ZnO thin films can be used as photosensor materials.