Optical and structural properties of sol–gel prepared MgZnO alloy thin films

Abstract Mg x Zn 1− x O ( x = 0–0.5) alloy thin films were prepared by a sol–gel dip-coating method. Mg 0.1 Zn 0.9 O and Mg 0.5 Zn 0.5 O films prepared were annealed in the range of 400–900 °C to investigate their thermal stability and temperature-dependent optical properties. The Mg 0.1 Zn 0.9 O films were thermally stable in the investigated annealing temperature range and exhibited the maximum ultraviolet emission at 800 °C. The segregation of MgO occurred in the Mg 0.5 Zn 0.5 O films, and the near-band-edge ultraviolet emission of this alloy was enhanced with increasing annealing temperature. The Mg saturation content in the sol–gel prepared MgZnO alloys was found to be about 0.23 where the band gap extended to 3.48 eV.