Behavior Study of the Nanostructured Zn1-xCdxO (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) Semiconductor Thin Films Deposited onto Silicon Substrate by Dip-Coating Method

The specimens of nanostructured semiconductor of Zn1-xCdxO (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) thin films were grown on silicon substrate using a dip-coating method. The sol-gel technique was used. The appropriate amounts of Zinc acetate dihydrate (ZnAc) and the Cadmium acetate dihydrate (CdAc) were mixed according to the weight ratios that we have identified as follows; 0, 1, 2, 5 and 10 wt.%, then dissolved in 2-Methoxyethanol. Moreover, the Ethanolamine acts as a stabilizer. All films were annealed for 2 h at 500 °C. In order to search the Cd doping effect and its behavior to understand the morphological, structural and optical characteristics with confirm the presence of components and calculate its atomic percentages, we were used many nuclear techniques. The X-ray patterns of all films have showed a hexagonal structure crystallization of wurtzite ZnO phase with nano-metric crystallites size, about 25 nm, confirmed by an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) images, also we observed the fibers or a roots-like morphology on the surface. The Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) by the relation with the etching time and the Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) simulation spectra confirmed the existing of starting and doping elements, to conclude in the latter that the sample of ZnO film doped 10 wt.% Cd has the thickest. Regarding the Photoluminescence (PL) property and under the excitation of 250 nm by Xenon lamp in the room-temperature, the films showed a luminescence spectra of ultraviolet and visible emission, and we remarked also an increasing intensity of this latter up to 5 wt.% Cd doping, as well as a decrease of the optical gap energy has been registered from 3.33 to 3.25 eV with the increase of cadmium doping concentration.