Surfaces and Interfaces 40 (2023) 103026

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Surfaces and Interfaces

journal homepage: www.sciencedirect.com/journal/surfaces-and-interfaces

Growth of SrTiO3 thin film on a glass substrate by the sol-gel-assisted

hydrothermal method
Yulia Eka Putri *, Melvi Muharmi , Tio Putra Wendari , Diana Vanda Wellia
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Andalas, Padang 25163, Indonesia

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: In this study, SrTiO3 thin films underwent fabrication on glass substrates using the in-situ sol-gel-hydrothermal
SrTiO3 thin film method. The overall formation procedure comprised two primary stages. In this first, the TiO2 layer deposition
Perovskite on the glass substrates was performed using the sol-gel method. Next, diffusing the Sr2+ ions in the TiO2 layer for
Sol-gel
obtaining SrTiO3 was performed via the hydrothermal method by modifying the amount of strontium ions within
Hydrothermal
Glass substrate
the solution. The crystal structure analysis shows that all the prepared SrTiO3 thin films are polycrystalline with a
perovskite structure. The surface morphology of SrTiO3 thin films demonstrates that the STF-50 sample has the
smallest average particle size of 147 nm with a thickness of 247 nm. The SrTiO3 thin layer interaction with the
glass substrate was observed in the FTIR spectrum with the presence of Ti-O and Si-O-strain vibrations of TiO6
octahedral in SrTiO3 the perovskite structure, and silanol and siloxane groups from the glass substrate. The UV-
DRS measurement spectrum suggests that the optical band gap energy value decreases when raising the thickness
of the thin film, indicating the dependence of optical properties on the thickness of the resulting film.

1. Introduction perovskite structure that has mixed ionic-electronic conductivity. A

The development of nanomaterials and nanotechnology has gener­
ated rapid growth in the search for materials with leading-edge func­
tions. The most attractive research work in this area is coming across
challenging solutions to develop advanced materials that offer superior
performance [1]. Thin-film materials have shown remarkably extensive
properties over the corresponding bulk counterparts of the same
chemical composition. Nano-thickness thin films show qualitative
changes in their chemical and physical properties, attributable to the
large surface-to-volume ratio originating from the microstructure, thus
influencing several unique phenomena such as optical interference [2],
conductivity [3], diffusion and non-linear mass transport [4], optical
absorption [5], and catalytic activity [6]. The use of thin solid films
covers the most common practice in many types of engineering systems
and adapts with the development of the miniaturization of electronic
devices. The interface structural features of thin films allow for the
confinement of electric charges that cause changes in electronic prop­
erties. Additionally, the need for high-quality, reliable, and reproducible
thin-film materials is the driving force for continuously developing
thin-film synthesis techniques [7].
Strontium titanate (SrTiO3/STO) is a class of ternary oxide with a
strontium cation is coordinated with twelve oxygen ions and a titanium
cation with six oxygen ions in a cubic unit cell. The TiO6 octahedron
building unit in the center of the cubic unit cell has a centrosymmetric
position that allows for structural instability, causing distortions such as
local tilt and rotation [8]. The structural features of perovskite are a
promising platform for tuning and optimizing material properties.
Furthermore, the growth of SrTiO3 into thin layers is compositionally
and chemically highly stable. The combination of SrTiO3 structure and
controllable properties enables this particular thin film to possess
excellent dielectric properties, high optical transparency, and incipient
ferroelectricity [9–11]. In addition, the presence of dopants and va­
cancies in the SrTiO3 thin layer structure has significantly changed the
targeted properties such as electrical and thermal conductivity [12], as
well as electrocatalyst properties for the production of hydrogen from
the electrolysis of water [13].
A series of effective methods have been applied to expand the SrTiO3
thin films. Some examples are atomic layer deposition, plasma sputter­
ing, molecular beam deposition, chemical vapor deposition, as well as
electron-cyclotron-resonance (ECR). However, these techniques require
advanced equipment and high cost [14]. Therefore, more simple and
cost-effective preparation techniques are needed to prepare SrTiO3 thin

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: yuliaekaputri@sci.unand.ac.id (Y.E. Putri).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2023.103026
Received 5 August 2022; Received in revised form 15 March 2023; Accepted 6 June 2023
Available online 24 June 2023
2468-0230/© 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Y.E. Putri et al.
Fig. 1. XRD patterns of SrTiO3 thin films.
films with high crystallinity, uniform morphology, and crack-free
behavior. Chemical solution deposition techniques offer a viable,
low-cost solution that can produce polycrystalline stoichiometric
ceramic thin films [15].
We used a thin layer of SrTiO3 expanded on a glass substrate by the
in-situ sol-gel-hydrothermal method. The TiO2 gel solid precursors were
used through the sol-gel method. Next, the deposition was performed on
the glass substrate using a dip-coating method. The reaction mechanism
during SrTiO3 film formation was explained through the hydrolysis of
TiCl4 precursors, condensation to form TiO2 gel, and Sr2+ions diffusion
along the thin layer of TiO2 gel framework to develop SrTiO3, these
mechanisms have succeeded in producing high purity and crystallinity
of SrTiO3 films in the nanometer range. The optical properties of SrTiO3
thin films are discussed to study the interaction of thin films with light.
Crystal structure determination, morphological observations, and ab­
sorption characteristics were carried out to strengthen the analysis of the
optical properties of SrTiO3 thin films.
2. Experimental procedures
Glass substrates were prepared by rinsing and sonication using
distilled water, isopropanol, acetone, and ethanol for five minutes for
every solvent. After that, the clean glass was heated to 500 ◦ C for 1 h The
preparation of the TiO2 gel precursor on a glass substrate was adapted
from prior work [16]. The TiO2 gel precursor on the glass substrates was
dried in an oven at 120 ◦ C for 1 h. Confirmation of the TiO2 produced
using the sol-gel method was carried out by calcining the TiO2 gel
deposited on a glass substrate at a temperature of 500 ◦ C for 1 h. The
transformation from TiO2 to SrTiO3 was conducted after dissolving Sr
(OH)2⋅8H2O in distilled water with concentration values of 25, 50, and
75 mM, by stirring for 40 min. The solution was then loaded onto a
Teflon-lined autoclave. Next, the TiO2 gel precursor was positioned
vertically. The hydrothermal procedure was then performed at a tem­
perature of 150 ◦ C for 6 hrs. After the hydrothermal procedure, the
substrate that was coated with SrTiO3 was extracted from the autoclave
and dried at room temperature. Subsequently, the calcination procedure
was performed at 600 ◦ C for 30 min. The SrTiO3 thin film samples were
then labeled STF-25, STF-50, and STF-75. The SrTiO3 thin films were
then characterized using an X-Ray Diffractometer (PAN Analytical
2
Surfaces and Interfaces 40 (2023) 103026
X’pert PRO), a Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-Ray
(FlexSEM1000), a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (JEOL
JSM 6950), and a UV–Vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (Analytik
Jena Specord 210).
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Crystal structure analysis using XRD
The SrTiO3 films were created using a two-stage deposition proced­
ure. The first stage involves TiO2 deposition on glass substrates. The
second stage involves strontium ions diffusion on the TiO2 layer in the
hydrothermal process, during calcination at a temperature of 600 ◦ C.
The thin film crystalline phase was identified by X-Ray Diffractometer
(Fig. 1). In diffractometer patterns of the SrTiO3 thin films, distinctive
peaks were observed at 2θ: 32.30◦ (110) for all of the prepared samples
with various concentrations of Sr2+ions in the solution. The arrange­
ment of the SrTiO3 patterns reveals the cubic perovskite crystallographic
phase with a space group Pm3m (ICSD-94573). The crystallite size of all
samples was calculated by applying Scherrer’s formula for the main XRD
peak, which corresponded to 31 nm, 29 nm, and 32 nm for SFT-25, STF-
50, and STF-75, respectively. There was no significant difference in
crystallite size with increasing concentration of Sr2+ ions in solution, so
the packing density in the crystal structure was approximately the same
for all samples.
The formation of SrTiO3 thin films initiates with the preparation of a
thin layer of TiO2 deposited on a glass substrate in the form of a gel with
an amorphous structure. The TiO2 on the glass substrate was confirmed
by XRD analysis, as shown in Supporting Information S1. Amorphous
TiO2 thin film is more unstable compared to its crystalline structure, so
the process of breaking the Ti-O bonds in the amorphous structure is
easier [17]. The loose binding inside the TiO2 structure makes the
diffusion of Sr2+ ions toward the surface faster, thus accelerating the
formation of polycrystalline SrTiO3.
The reaction mechanism of the SrTiO3 thin film was initiated by the
hydrolysis of TiCl4 in distilled water to produce a solution of titanium
oxychloride (TiOCl2). The TiOCl2 solution was further hydrolyzed in an
alkaline solution to release chloride ions, and the hydrolyzed species
will react with each other via a condensation process to form titanium
oxyhydroxide (TiO(OH)2) clusters. The presence of ammonium chloride
in the solution fused the TiO(OH)2 clusters to form the solid TiO2.xH2O
framework. The Ti-O bonds dissociation on the TiO2.xH2O framework
with peroxide formed peroxo titanic acid (Ti(OH)(OOH)), and then
further condensed to form a TiO2 gel. The hydrothermal process assisted
in loosening the Ti-O bonds of TiO2 with amorphous structures on the
surface of the substrate so that the diffusion of Sr2+ ions into the TiO2
framework becomes faster to form SrTiO3 thin films. The sintering
process of SrTiO3 thin films induced changes in crystal structure and
morphological evolution. The reaction equilibrium during the synthesis
process is as follows;
TiCl4(l)+H2O(l)→TiOCl2(I)+2HCl
TiOCl2+2NH4OH→TiO(OH)2(l)+2NH4Cl→TiO2. xH2O(s)
– – O + H2O2→–
– Ti– – Ti(OH)(OOH)(l)+H2O→–
– TiO2(s)+H2O
SiO-TiO2(s)+Sr2+→SiO-SrTiO3(s)
3.2. Morphological observations
Fig. 2 (a-c) illustrates the surface morphology SEM images for all of
the SrTiO3 thin films. The morphology of the films shows fine-grained
particles with a spherical shape. They do not have any cracks on their
Y.E. Putri et al. Surfaces and Interfaces 40 (2023) 103026

Fig. 2. (a-c) SEM micrograph of SrTiO3 thin films deposited on a glass substrate, (d-f) Grain size distribution, (g-i) SEM images for the cross-section of the SrTiO3 thin
films, and (j) Elemental mapping of the STF-50 sample.

3
Y.E. Putri et al.
Fig. 3. FTIR spectrum of SrTiO3 thin films.
surface. The particle size distribution was determined using Image-J
software by selecting approximately 70 discrete particles. Particle size
data were analyzed by determining the statistical quantities displayed in
the form of a bar chart of the particle size distribution. The mean of
particle size was calculated by summing all the particle sizes divided by
the number of selected particles. Fig. 2 (d-f) shows that the particle size
distribution for STF-25 is within the range of 75–375 nm, and is reduced
to the range of 60–230 nm for STF-50, and 80–260 nm for STF-75. These
results conclude that the STF-50 sample has a smaller size and a nar­
rower size distribution than the STF-25 and STF-75 samples. Subse­
quently, the cross-section morphology observation by SEM was
conducted to determine the thickness of the film deposited on the glass
substrate. Fig. 2 (g-i) shows a cross-section of the samples with a dense
film, and an average thickness was found to be 452 nm for SFT-25, 247
nm for SFT-50, and 375 nm for STF-75, respectively. The measurement
of the element distributions in the STF-50 sample illustrated in Fig. 2(j)
was created from one view field after scanning the electron beam within
a grid pattern. The presence of all constituent elements of Sr, Ti, and O
was detected homogeneously and also supported by the EDX spectrum in
Supporting Information S2, thus proving that the SrTiO3 were distrib­
uted throughout the thin layer surface.
The deposition of TiO2 thin films on the glass substrates significantly
impacts the formation of SrTiO3. TiO2 is required to deposit in a gel state
during the early stage of the hydrothermal reaction. The Sr2+ ions are
consumed into the amorphous TiO2 structure on the self-organized
surface so that it becomes a nearly stoichiometric SrTiO3 film during
the growth procedure [18]. The heating and annealing of the thin films
create the crystallization and lead to control of the film microstructures
[19]. The TiO2 to SrTiO3 conversion fully takes place, so TiO2 is not
traced as proven by the unavailability of TiO2 peaks within the XRD
patterns.
3.3. FTIR spectrum analysis
Ion interaction in the SrTiO3 thin films with a perovskite structure on
glass substrates was characterized using FTIR. Fig. 3 illustrates three
different vibration modes for the Ti-O bond at wavenumbers in the range
of 400–900 cm− 1 for all available samples. The stretching vibration of
the hydroxyl group of Ti-OH was shown at wave numbers of 1459 cm− 1.
4
Surfaces and Interfaces 40 (2023) 103026
The weak absorption peak at 1056 cm− 1 indicates the presence of
stretching vibration of the silanol and siloxane group originating from
the glass substrate [20]. The FTIR results indicate that an interaction of
silanol and siloxane groups is present on the glass substrate with the
Ti-O-Ti network along the hexagonal sequence on the SrTiO3 thin film
perovskite structure [21].
3.4. UV-DRS analysis
The optical characteristics were identified by the DRS spectrum as
shown in Fig. 4.a. The absorption peaks of all samples were in the UV
absorption region with different absorption wavelengths. The shift to­
wards lower or higher absorption wavelength is related to the thickness
of the thin film and the particle size of the samples, thus affecting the
emission of the light beam. The determination of the absorption coef­
ficient (α) was carried out by using the DRS absorption spectrum, with
the formula as follows; α = 2,303A/l, where A is absorbance and l is film
thickness (nm), and the calculated absorption coefficient value was 5.06
× 104 cm− 1, 8.40 × 104 cm−, 1 and 5.44 × 104 cm− 1 for STF-25, STF-50,
and STF-75, respectively. The absorption coefficient for all samples has a
value of α >104 cm− 1, which leads to an increase in the probability of a
direct transition, where the absorption coefficient increases with a
decrease in thin film thickness.
The estimated reflectance spectra were transformed to the
computed optical band gap (Eg) by using the Tauc plot (Fig. 4b). After
extrapolating the linear portion of the plot of (αhυ)2 as a photon energy
(hυ) function, the hυ-axis point exhibits the direct optical band gap (Eg)
for all the samples. The measured Eg value was 3.04, 3.30, and 3.24 eV
for STF-25, STF-50, and STF-75, respectively. Fig. 4c shows the glass
substrate with the thin films of SrTiO3, and all samples exhibit good
transparency by visual observation. The transparent thin film will
poorly absorb light, which means there is more transmittance or
reflection occurring and less absorption, thus absorption coefficient (α)
becomes higher [6,22]. As the thickness of STF-25 increases by 452
nm, the light beam transmittance typically decreases and moves to­
wards the higher wavelength values. Consequently, the optical ab­
sorption edge moves in the direction of the higher wavelength values
with lower photon energy, as a result, the optical gap energy of the
STF-25 sample decreases. It is worth noting that the Eg value of SrTiO3
thin film decreases when the thickness increases [23]. Additionally, the
refraction angle of the light beam in the thin film material decreases.
Therefore, the refractive index of the optical rays rises and the optical
band gap decreases [24,25].
4. Conclusion
SrTiO3 thin films were synthesized on glass substrates using a two-
stage process. The TiO2 solution was first created by the sol-gel
method and then deposited on glass substrates using the dip-coating
method. This was followed by the diffusion and the formation of
SrTiO3 by the hydrothermal method for a series of concentrations of
Sr2+ions. Next, XRD analysis revealed a densely packed structured
perovskite SrTiO3 layer with a cubic crystal structure and a Pm3m
space group. The FTIR spectrum exhibits the interaction between the
glass substrate and the SrTiO3 thin layer during several specific ab­
sorption processes. The thin film surface morphology shows the
spherical particles are homogeneously distributed across the glass
substrate. The cross-section of all samples revealed a SrTiO3 layer with
a thickness value in the range of a few nanometers. The optical
characteristics of the band gap energy demonstrated a correlation with
the film thickness value, whereby a thicker SrTiO3 layer caused a
lower band gap energy value. Using visual analysis, the thin film
transparency in the STF-50 samples demonstrated their implication as
a smart window glass application.
Y.E. Putri et al. Surfaces and Interfaces 40 (2023) 103026

Fig.. 4. (a) DRS absorption region of the STF samples. (b) The plots of (αhυ)2 vs hυ for the determination of the optical band gap of SrTiO3 thin film. (c) Transparent
thin film specimen of the STF samples.

CRediT authorship contribution statement Declaration of Competing Interest

Yulia Eka Putri: Conceptualization, Methodology, Supervision, The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
Writing – original draft. Melvi Muharmi: Investigation, Writing – interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
original draft. Tio Putra Wendari: Visualization, Writing – review & the work reported in this paper.
editing. Diana Vanda Wellia: Validation, Writing – review & editing.

5
Y.E. Putri et al.
Data availability
The authors are unable or have chosen not to specify which data has
been used.
Acknowledgment
The authors gratefully acknowledge support from The Ministry of
Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of
Indonesia and LLPM Universitas Andalas through Hibah Penelitian
Pascasarjana Penelitian Tesis Magister [Grant number T/50/UN.16.17/
PT.01.03/PPS-PTM-MATERIAL Maju/2022].
Supplementary materials
Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in
the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.surfin.2023.103026.
References
[1] N. Baig, I. Kammakakam, W. Falath, I. Kammakakam, Nanomaterials: a review of
synthesis methods, properties, recent progress, and challenges, Mater. Adv. 2
(2021) 1821–1871, https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ma00807a.
[2] H. Khmissi, S.A. Mahmoud, A.A. Akl, Investigation of thermal annealing effect on
the microstructure,morphology, linear and non-linear optical properties of spray
deposited nanosized V2O5 thin films, Optik 227 (2021), 165979, https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.ijleo.2020.165979.
[3] V. Jacobson, D. Diercks, B. To, A. Zakutayev, G. Brennecka, Thin film growth
effects on electrical conductivity in entropy stabilized oxides, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc.
41 (2021) 2617–2624, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2020.12.021.
[4] Y. Guillemin, M. Etienne, E. Aubert, A. Walcarius, Electrogeneration of highly
methylated mesoporous silica thin films with vertically-aligned mesochannels and
electrochemical monitoring of mass transport issues, J. Mater. Chem. 20 (2010)
6799–6807, https://doi.org/10.1039/c0jm00305k.
[5] A.A.M. Farag, A.H. Ammar, M.A. Gouda, N. Roushdy, Optical absorption and
dispersion properties of 2-aminoanthracene-9,10- dione thin films for
photodetector applications, Opt. Mater. 97 (2019), 109398, https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.optmat.2019.109398.
[6] P. Dulian, W. Nachit, J. Jaglarz, P. Zięba, J. Kanak, W. Żukowski, Photocatalytic
methylene blue degradation on multilayer transparent TiO2 coatings, Opt Mater
(Amst) 90 (2019) 264–272, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2019.02.041.
[7] E. Fortunato, P. Barquinha, R. Martins, Oxide Semiconductor thin-film transistors:
a review of recent advances, Adv. Mater. 24 (2012) 2945–2986, https://doi.org/
10.1002/adma.201103228.
[8] Y.E. Putri, T.P. Wendari, A.A. Rahmah, R. Refinel, S.M. Said, N. Sofyan, D.
V. Wellia, Tuning the morphology of SrTiO3 nanocubes and their enhanced
electrical conductivity, Ceram. Int. (2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
ceramint.2021.11.075.
[9] B. Kim, B. Na, J. Park, Y. Kwon, M. Jeong, H. Lim, E. Yoon, Dielectric properties of
sub 20nm homoepitaxial SrTiO3 thin film grown by molecular beam epitaxy using
Surfaces and Interfaces 40 (2023) 103026
oxygen plasma, Ferroelectrics 571 (2021) 76–84, https://doi.org/10.1080/
00150193.2020.1853741.
[10] D. Xu, Y. Yuan, H. Zhu, L. Cheng, C. Liu, J. Su, X. Zhang, H. Zhang, X. Zhang, J. Li,
Nanostructure and optical property investigations of SrTiO 3 films deposited by
magnetron sputtering, Materials (2019) 12, https://doi.org/10.3390/
ma12010138.
[11] S. Singh, A.L. Sangle, T. Wu, N. Khare, J.L. MacManus-Driscoll, Growth of doped
SrTiO3 ferroelectric nanoporous thin films and tuning of photoelectrochemical
properties with switchable ferroelectric polarization, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces
11 (2019) 45683–45691, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.9b15317.
[12] A. Bhogra, A. Masarrat, R. Meena, D. Hasina, M. Bala, C.L. Dong, C.L. Chen,
T. Som, A. Kumar, A. Kandasami, Tuning the electrical and thermoelectric
properties of N Ion implanted SrTiO3 thin films and their conduction mechanisms,
Sci. Rep. 9 (2019) 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51079-y.
[13] A.L. Sangle, S. Singh, J. Jian, S.R. Bajpe, H. Wang, N. Khare, J.L. Macmanus-
Driscoll, Very high surface area mesoporous thin films of SrTiO3 grown by pulsed
laser deposition and application to efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting,
Nano Lett. 16 (2016) 7338–7345, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b02487.
[14] O.O. Abegunde, E.T. Akinlabi, O.P. Oladijo, S. Akinlabi, A.U. Ude, Overview of thin
film deposition techniques, AIMS Mater. Sci. 6 (2019) 174–199, https://doi.org/
10.3934/MATERSCI.2019.2.174.
[15] G. Yang, S.J. Park, Conventional and microwave hydrothermal synthesis and
application of functional materials: a review, Materials 12 (2019) 1–18, https://
doi.org/10.3390/ma12071177.
[16] N. Pratiwi, S.Arief Zulhadjri, D.V. Wellia, A facile preparation of transparent
ultrahydrophobic glass via TiO2/Octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS) coatings for self-
cleaning material, ChemistrySelect 5 (2020) 1450–1454, https://doi.org/10.1002/
slct.201904153.
[17] J. Zhang, J.H. Bang, C. Tang, P.V. Kamat, Tailored TiO2-SrTiO3 heterostructure
nanotube arrays for improved photoelectrochemical performance, ACS Nano 4
(2010) 387–395, https://doi.org/10.1021/nn901087c.
[18] T. Łęcki, K. Zarębska, K. Sobczak, M. Skompska, Photocatalytic degradation of 4-
chlorophenol with The Use of FTO/TiO2/SrTiO3 composite prepared by
microwave-assisted hydrothermal method, Appl. Surf. Sci. 470 (2019) 991–1002,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2018.11.200.
[19] T. Bayrak, S. Kizir, E. Kahveci, N. Bıyıklı, E. Goldenberg, Postdeposition annealing
on RF-sputtered SrTiO3 thin films, J. Vacuum Sci. Technol. A 35 (2017), 021505,
https://doi.org/10.1116/1.4973970.
[20] M. Dimitriadi, M. Zafiropoulou, S. Zinelis, N. Silikas, G. Eliades, Silane reactivity
and resin bond strength to lithium disilicate ceramic surfaces, Dent. Mater. 35
(2019) 1082–1094, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dental.2019.05.002.
[21] M. Yao, F. Li, Y. Peng, J. Chen, Z. Su, X. Yao, Enhanced Electrical Characteristics of
Sol–Gel-Derived Amorphous SrTiO3 Films, J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron. 28
(2017) 4044–4050, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-016-6018-8.
[22] F.A. Chaves, D. Jiménez, Thickness dependence of structural, optical and
morphological properties of sol-gel derived TiO2 thin film, Nanotechnology 29
(2018) 1–19.
[23] G. Kaur, A. Mitra, K.L. Yadav, Pulsed laser deposited Al-doped ZnO thin films for
optical applications, Progress Natural Sci. 25 (2015) 12–21, https://doi.org/
10.1016/j.pnsc.2015.01.012.
[24] S.A. Aly, ALAA.A. Akl, Influence of film thickness on optical absorption and energy
gap of thermally evaporated CdS0.1Se0.9 thin films, Chalcogenide Letters 12
(2015) 489–496.
[25] M. Liu, Q. Zhan, W. Li, R. Li, Q. He, Y. Wang, Effect of Zn doping concentration on
optical band gap of PbS thin films, J. Alloys Compd. 792 (2019) 1000–1007,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.04.117.