RESEARCH ON THE STRUCTURE, ELECTRICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE OXIDE THIN FILM SNO 2 DOPED WITH CERIUM FLUORIDE FOR APPLICATION IN OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES

Van-Da Dao; Quang-Phu Tran

Van-Da Dao Hung Yen University of Technology and Education
Quang-Phu Tran Hung Yen University of Technology and Education

Keywords: Cerium fluoride co-doped tin oxide films, Transparent conducting oxide (TCO), Sol–gel dip-coating, Electrical resistivity, p-type TCO

Abstract

This paper presents a study on the structural, electrical, and optical characteristics of tin oxide (SnO2) thin films doped with 2 mol.% cerium trifluoride (CeF3). Employing the sol-gel dip coating technique, these films were deposited onto glass substrates and subsequently annealed in air at temperature of 450 °C. The structural analysis revealed that CeF3 doping significantly alters the crystallinity and grain size of SnO2 film. Electrical measurements indicated a transition from n-type conductivity in the undoped SnO2 film to p-type in the film doped with CeF3. This change was validated through measurements of both Hall effect and Seebeck coefficient. The doped film exhibited a decreased electrical resistivity and increased carrier concentration, with values of 1.72 × 10–2 Ωcm and +5.35 × 1019 cm–3, respectively. Optical assessments demonstrated that the CeF 3 doped SnO2 (CFTO) film has high level of transparency across the visible spectrum, measuring 80 % at 550 nm. Our findings suggest that the incorporation of CeF3 into SnO2 film is a promising approach to developing transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) for specific optoelectronic applications. The enhanced p-type conductivity, coupled with high optical transparency and low electrical resistivity, positions this film as potential candidates for next-generation optoelectronic devices, especially when coupled with homo- or hetero-junctions, which can further enhance their performance and versatility in various optoelectronic devices.

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