Investigated New Thin Films based on Zn-doped MgO for Optoelectronic Devices

In this work, Mg1-xZnxO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the pneumatic spray technique at 450°C using a 0.15 M precursor solution of magnesium acetate and zinc acetate. The effect of Zn content (x = 0, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7%) on the structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of the films was examined. XRD analysis showed that all films adopted a cubic MgO structure with diffraction peaks from the (111), (200), and (220) planes, and the crystallite size grew from 8.12 to 12.49 nm as the Zn content increased. SEM images indicated that moderate Zn incorporation improved film homogeneity, whereas higher Zn contents promoted agglomeration and surface roughening. The films transmitted well in the visible region, and the optical band gap widened from 3.56 to 3.93 eV at x = 0.3. The Urbach energy also rose with Zn content, reaching a maximum of 0.695 eV at x = 0.7, which indicates greater structural disorder. FTIR spectra confirmed that Zn incorporation modifies the chemical bonding network. The sheet resistance increased markedly with Zn content, demonstrating the strong influence of Zn doping on the optical and electrical properties of MgO thin films.