Characterization of Doped ZnO Thin Film for Ammonia Gas Sensing Application

Abstract

This paper reports on the characterization of Sn- and Al-doped zinc oxide thin film for potential ammonia gas detection. The sol–gel method has been used to deposit the dopant onto the glass substrate at an annealing temperature of 500°C for three different doping concentrations, which are 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 at.%. The method used to produce this thin film is sol–gel, as it is cheap, easy, and can be employed at low temperatures. The studies involve the investigation of the morphological structures and electrical and optical properties of doped ZnO. In terms of structural properties, scanning electron microscope images of Sn- and Al-doped ZnO change as the dopant concentration is increased. The doped thin film response and recovery towards 200 ppm of ammonia were observed and recorded. Both dopants show good gas sensing response. The recorded resistance reading suggests that Al is the superior dopant in gas sensing as it produces a low resistance reading of 230 Ω as opposed to 140 kΩ produced by Sn-doped ZnO thin film.