Real-time measurement of laser induced photoconductivity in sol-gel derived Al doped ZnO thin films

In this paper Al doped ZnO (AZO) thin films with 0, 3, 6 and 12 at. % Al concentration were prepared by sol-gel method on glass substrates. The deposited films were annealed at different temperatures of 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 {\deg}C for 1 h in air. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed wurtzite crystalline structure for the films annealed above 400 {\deg}C. The films were subsequently irradiated by beams of excimer (KrF, {\lambda}=248 nm) laser. The evolution of crystal structure, surface morphology and optical properties were studied using XRD, filed emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and UV-Vis spectrophotometer, respectively. Real-time measurement of electrical conductivity during laser irradiation showed a transient or persistent photoconductivity effect. The effect of laser energy on this photoconductivity was also investigated. Based on the observed photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the observed photoconductivity effect was described.