Synthesis of Cu-Al-Zn-O nanocomposite: effect of annealing on the physical properties

We prepared Cu-Al-Zn-O (CAZO) nanocomposite thin films on quartz substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method. The as-deposited CAZO film is amorphous in nature and annealing in air environment results in weak crystallization of the films and formation of CuAlO2 and CAZO. The surface morphology of the films was studied with atomic force microscopy images, while Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) was used to characterize material properties. The optical bandgap of films was found to be 3–4.2 eV depending on the annealing temperature. The photoluminescence (PL) of the samples was measured at room temperature. Violet, blue and green spectra peaks were observed from the PL spectra of the four samples. The emission spectrum indicates the suitability of CAZO nanocomposite for gas sensor applications and technology.