Effect of Iron Doping on Physical Properties of NiO Thin Films

Abstract

Nickel-iron oxide was deposited on highly cleaned glass substrates using spray pneumatic technique. The effect of iron percentage on structural, optical and electrical properties has been studied. The crystalline size of the deposited thin films was calculated using Debye-Scherer formula and found in the range between 8.8 and 27.6 nm. The optical properties have been discussed in this work. The absorbance (A), the transmittance (T) and the reflectance (R) were measured and calculated. Band gap energy is considered one of the most important optical parameter, therefore measured and found ranging between 3.81 and 3.98 eV. The NiO:Fe thin film reduces the light reflection for visible range light. The increase of the electrical conductivity to maximum value of 0.470 10 – 4 (Ω cm) – 1 for 6 % Fe can be explained by the increase in carrier concentration of the films. A good electrical conductivity of the NiO:Fe thin film is obtained due to the electrically low sheet resistance. NiO:Fe can be applied in different electronic and optoelectronic applications due to its high band gap, high transparency and good electrical conductivity.