Abstract
Nanocrystalline, highly (at.%) Co doped ZnO powder, obtained by a modified sol–gel method, was used as a target material for the growth of µm thin films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The films were deposited at room temperature on quartz substrates. The as-deposited films were polycrystalline but highly textured with the
c-axis aligned normal to the substrate plane. They present high optical transmittance in the visible range of approximately 90%, a carrier concentration of about 10
20 cm
−
3
and electrical resistivity of 10
−
3
Ω cm at room temperature. The analysis of the Co
2+ spectrum by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) showed the Co to be incorporated substitutionally and the angular variation EPR spectrum demonstrates a monocrystal like texturing of the films with the
c-axis normal to the film plane.