Azo nanorods growth by sputtering method / Muhamad Marwan Marbaie

Aluminum-doped-zinc oxide (AZO) films were grown by RF magnetron sputtering on gold (Au) metal catalyst. The Au catalyst with 5, 10 and 15nm thickness were deposited on ITO substrate by sputter coater method and being annealed for 15 minutes at 500°C. The AZO thin films were then deposited on top of the Au catalyst at different deposition temperatures from 200°C, 300°C, 400°C and 500°C. Apart from deposition temperature, RF power during sputtering were also being varied at 50 W, 100 W and 150 W. The morphology of the AZO films showed different characteristics between those parameters being varied. From the FESEM results, it can be said that, the Au catalyst layer as well as deposition temperature contribute the growth mechanism of the AZO nanostructures. The observed AZO nanostructures were in the form of nanorods distributed un-uniformly on the Au catalyst. The increased of Au catalyst thickness lead to the reducing of AZO nanorods number as well as the nanorods size. Besides that, the AZO nanorods were found to depend directly on the substrate temperatures. The AZO thin films were tested for its sensitivity in pH buffer solutions (pH 4, 7 and 10) for application in extended-gate filed effect transistor (EGFET).