Electrodeposited ZnCdO thin films as conducting optical layer for optoelectronic devices

Ternary alloy compound ZnCdO has great potential applications as Transparent Conducting Oxide for optoelectronic devices due to both its low roughness which permits to enhance the transmittance of the optical window and the high conductivity of the thin film. In this work, we report on ZnCdO thin films synthesized by the electrodeposition technique and the influence of the Cd content on the structural, electrical and optical properties of ZnCdO layers. The surface roughness of the Fluor Tin Oxide (FTO) film appears to change after depositing the ZnCdO layer. The present results demonstrate that the electrodeposition method is an effective technique to obtain ternary ZnCdO films (with Cd content between 1% and 9%) having the crystal structure of pure ZnO in hexagonal phase (0 0 2), transmittance higher than commercial FTO layers and high conductivity.