LAUSR

Abstract We report on the effect of cobalt loading in the target material on the properties of thin film nanocomposites of Co-doped zinc oxide (CZO) Zn 1-x Co x O. The films have been deposited by pulsed electron beam ablation (PEBA) at 450°C on pre-annealed (1100°C) c-sapphire and Si (100) substrates. The experimental results, based on scanning electron and atomic force microscopies (SEM, AFM), indicate that Co doping significantly affects the morphology of the films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements reveal that the films on both substrates exhibit a prominent ZnO hexagonal wurtzite structure for x = 0.05, whereas higher Co loading (x = 0.1, 0.2) results in a strong deformation of ZnO wurtzite lattice and in a higher content of hexagonal close-packed (hcp) metallic Co in CZO films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data confirm the presence of non-oxidized metallic Co (Co°) in the deposited films. Both XRD and XPS results indicate an increase in Co° content in the films as Co loading in the target is increased.