Preparation and Characterization of CdO Thin Films Prepared by Chemical Method

CdO thin films of different thicknesses were prepared by a simple chemical technique called Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption Reaction (SILAR) technique onto well cleaned substrates and the thicknesses of the deposited films were determined by gravimetric technique. The films are investigated with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and optical spectroscopy. The structural characterization was carried out by X-ray diffraction which confirms the polycrystalline nature of the films with a cubic structure. SEM analysis of the films enabled the conclusion that the prepared films are uniform, smooth and polycrystalline. From the transmittance spectra the type of transition, band gaps of the films, refractive index, dielectric constants of the films were estimated. From the results of the structural and optical analysis, CdO has been identified as an alternate n-type conductor.