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Abstract <p>This study investigates the influence of substrate type on the growth and morphological characteristics of zinc oxide (ZnO)-based metal oxide microstructures. Pure ZnO, Sn-doped ZnO (5 and 7%), and Fe-doped ZnO (5 and 7%) thin films with a molarity of 0.1 M were synthesized on glass, and silicon (Si) substrates. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed substrate-dependent structural variations. On glass substrates, all samples exhibited uniform “micro-wrinkle” structures with widths ranging from 0.2 to 1.44 µm, attributed to thermal stress from rapid cooling, alongside interconnected crystallites (17–50 nm). Doping with Sn or Fe enhanced crystallite coalescence, while the thermal expansion mismatch between ZnO and glass induced residual stress and consequently surface cracking. XRD patterns of pure and Sn- or Fe-doped ZnO thin films revealed a single-phase hexagonal wurtzite structure with no detectable secondary phases, confirming the successful incorporation of both dopants into the ZnO lattice. All films exhibited a polycrystalline nature with dominant orientations along the (100), (002), and (101) planes. Both dopants enhanced the diffraction peak intensities, indicating improved crystallinity. Doping improves crystallinity, with Sn inducing pronounced grain growth (~47 nm), while Fe results in moderate changes (~31–40 nm) relative to undoped ZnO (~34–36 nm). Nearly unchanged lattice parameters indicate that both dopants modify crystallinity and grain size without altering the basic ZnO lattice. Silicon substrates produced denser, stress-relieved layers with hexagonal (Sn/Fe-doped) or sheet-like (pure ZnO) crystals without folds because of the lower thermal expansion coefficient (2.6 × 10<sup>–6</sup>°C<sup>–1</sup>) of Si. XRD showed hexagonal wurtzite ZnO, and the lattice constants (e.g., the c-axis decreases for tin-doped ZnO) were related to the dopant. The thermal property and doping of the substrate play an essential role in modulating the morphology and stress distribution of microstructures, as well as the growth of crystallites, which is helpful for the design of optimized ZnO-based thin film applications.</p>

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Studies of ZnO-Based Coatings on Glass and Silicon Substrates Using the Sol-Gel Method

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月25日

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  • C. Zegadi,
  • A. Djelloul,
  • N. Hamdadou,
  • K. Arjunan,
  • M. Guezzoul

摘要

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of substrate type on the growth and morphological characteristics of zinc oxide (ZnO)-based metal oxide microstructures. Pure ZnO, Sn-doped ZnO (5 and 7%), and Fe-doped ZnO (5 and 7%) thin films with a molarity of 0.1 M were synthesized on glass, and silicon (Si) substrates. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed substrate-dependent structural variations. On glass substrates, all samples exhibited uniform “micro-wrinkle” structures with widths ranging from 0.2 to 1.44 µm, attributed to thermal stress from rapid cooling, alongside interconnected crystallites (17–50 nm). Doping with Sn or Fe enhanced crystallite coalescence, while the thermal expansion mismatch between ZnO and glass induced residual stress and consequently surface cracking. XRD patterns of pure and Sn- or Fe-doped ZnO thin films revealed a single-phase hexagonal wurtzite structure with no detectable secondary phases, confirming the successful incorporation of both dopants into the ZnO lattice. All films exhibited a polycrystalline nature with dominant orientations along the (100), (002), and (101) planes. Both dopants enhanced the diffraction peak intensities, indicating improved crystallinity. Doping improves crystallinity, with Sn inducing pronounced grain growth (~47 nm), while Fe results in moderate changes (~31–40 nm) relative to undoped ZnO (~34–36 nm). Nearly unchanged lattice parameters indicate that both dopants modify crystallinity and grain size without altering the basic ZnO lattice. Silicon substrates produced denser, stress-relieved layers with hexagonal (Sn/Fe-doped) or sheet-like (pure ZnO) crystals without folds because of the lower thermal expansion coefficient (2.6 × 10–6°C–1) of Si. XRD showed hexagonal wurtzite ZnO, and the lattice constants (e.g., the c-axis decreases for tin-doped ZnO) were related to the dopant. The thermal property and doping of the substrate play an essential role in modulating the morphology and stress distribution of microstructures, as well as the growth of crystallites, which is helpful for the design of optimized ZnO-based thin film applications.