Structural and Optical Properties of Chemical Bath Deposited Ferric Thin Films: Impact of Growth Time

Iron oxide thin layers were deposited on amorphous glass substrates by chemical bath deposition technique at different deposition times, followed by heat treatment. The influence of different deposition times on the structural and optical properties of deposited thin films are studied with different characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). XRD pattern confirmed polycrystalline nature with different crystalline phase a-phase and γ-Fe₂O₃. SEM images showed compact surface and the films adherent to the substrate. The optical properties of deposited films were determined using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer and optical parameters were calculated by using Kramers-Kronig technique based on reflectivity curves. The calculated direct band gap energy for the deposited iron oxide films varies from 2.1 to 2.4 eV, make them suitable for microelectronic devices and optoelectronic applications.