https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-03351-w
Regular Article
Tailoring the optical band gap of In–Sn–Zn–O (ITZO) nanostructures with co-doping process on ZnO crystal system: an experimental and theoretical validation
1
Advanced Materials and Quantum Phenomena Laboratory, Physics Department, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia
2
Centre for Advanced Materials Research, Research Institute of Sciences and Engineering, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
3
Department of Applied Physics and Astronomy, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Received:
22
May
2022
Accepted:
3
October
2022
Published online:
15
October
2022
Zn1−x−yInxSnyO [(x, y) = (0%, 0%), (1%, 0%), (0%, 1%), (1%, 1%), (2%, 1%), (1%, 2%), (2%, 2%), (3%, 2%), (2%, 3%), (3%, 3%)] nanostructures are produced by sol–gel process. The impact of co-doping (In, Sn) within the ZnO nanostructures is investigated with different characterization techniques such as structural, morphologic, UV absorbance, FESEM and Raman spectrum and energy band gap. The results indicate that ZnO and co-doped ZnO nanostructures attain wurtzite crystal structure with slight changes in the crystalline plane (101) orientation. In comparison to the undoped ZnO nanostructures, the direct energy band gap and the absorption spectra show a significant decrease with increasing co-doping parameter. The band gap has been theoretically analyzed using multi-band k.p wurtzite Hamiltonian and the results are in good agreement with the experimentally derived band gap of the Zn1−x−yInxSnyO nanostructures. The current findings bring in new strategies to develop ITZO (InxSnyZn1−x−yO) conducting oxides as alternative for current TCOs.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-03351-w.
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