Effect of Zn-doping on the structural and optical properties of BaTiO₃ thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Thin films of zinc oxide doped barium titanate (BaZn_xTi_{1 - x}O₃) have been prepared by pulsed laser ablation using different targets having zinc composition varying between x = 1 to 5 wt.% at a step of 1 wt.% on corning glass microscope slide and silicon substrates. X-ray diffraction analyses showed films to be of tetragonal phase with an average grain size of 20 nm and c/a ratio of 1.08 indicating lattice expansion due to ZnO incorporation. Atomic force microscopy studies of the prepared thin films indicated smooth surfaces with average roughness of 1.84 and 4.6 nm for as-deposited and sintered specimens respectively. Scanning electron microscopy showed films to be smooth and uniform. UV-Visible as well as Fourier Transform Infrared transmission measurements showed a transmission of more than 80% in the visible and 5-20% in the near infrared. The transmittance is strongly affected by annealing. There is a dependence of band gap energy on film thickness as well as on the amount of ZnO added. High ZnO dopant level led to an increase in the band gap.