Effect of Oxidation Temperature on Characteristics of Thermally Oxidized ZnO Thin Films on Mica Substrates.

Muscovite mica is one of the promising alternatives to polymer substrates because of its good thermal resistivity, flexibility, and transparency. In this study, metallic Zn films with a thickness of 300 nm were deposited on mica substrates through thermal evaporation; the thin films were then oxidized by annealing at temperatures ranging from 350 to 550 degrees C. The structural and optical properties of thermally oxidized ZnO thin films were investigated. Diffraction peaks for ZnO (100) and (002) planes were observed only for the ZnO thin films oxidized at temperatures above 450 degrees C. These films consisted of relatively rough film-like structures, and the average transmittance of the films was greater than 70% in the visible region. The highest near-band-edge emission was observed for the ZnO thin films oxidized at 500 degrees C. Upon increasing the oxidation temperatures to 500 degrees C, the optical band gap was blue-shifted.