Synthesis of Zinc Nanoparticles on Various Substrates Using Direct Current Sputtering Method

Abstract

Zinc (Zn) thin films were deposited on silicon and glass substrates using DC sputtering. The crystal structure and morphology of the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), respectively. XRD analysis revealed a dominant Zn (002) peak, indicating a wurtzite crystal structure. FESEM images confirmed a uniform distribution of grains with a granular surface morphology. The grain size of the Zn thin films increased with longer sputtering times on both substrates. Scherrer's equation was employed to calculate the grain size from the XRD patterns. Notably, the Zn thin film deposited on the n-type Si substrate for 10 minutes exhibited the most uniform morphology among all samples. The best result was the formation of ZnNPs on silicon substrate at 5 minute where the particle size was at a peak 9 nm.