Ferromagnetic, Optical and Photoluminescence Behavior of Ni-Doped ZnO Thin Films

Ni-doped ZnO (NZO) thin films were prepared onto a glass substrate with varying concentrations of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10% of Ni using sol-gel spin coating method and their structural, optical and magnetic characteristics were discussed with supporting of XRD, UV, Photoluminescence, XPS and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) characterization techniques. The XRD analysis shows that the polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure with (002) orientation of NZO thin films. The XPS results confirmed the presence of Ni ion in all the samples. The optical bandgap of the prepared samples was decreased with increasing concentrations of nickel from 3.33 to 3.22 eV. Photoluminescence spectra showed a red shift of near band edge (NBE) and deep level (DLE) emissions for prepared undoped and NZO thin films. The VSM of prepared NZO thin films exhibit ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature for potential applications in various fields. Our experimental observations support for transparent conducting electrode and spintronics device applications. Graphical Abstract