Tailoring the optical properties of CdO nanostructures via barium doping for optical windows applications

Abstract

In this study, the optical properties of CdO nanostructured films have been tailored via barium doping for optical windows applications. Barium-doped cadmium oxide (Ba:CdO) nanostructured films (nFs) were synthesized using spray pyrolysis technique. The prepared nFs were examined using X-ray diffractometer, FT-IR and UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometers. The XRD analysis reveals that the plain and Ba:CdO nanostructured films exhibit cubic crystalline structures. FT-IR analysis exposes that plain CdO absorption bands locate in the wavenumber range from 400 cm−1 to 1200 cm−1. The UV-Vis-NIR spectra analysis exhibits that Ba content plays a significant effect on the optical transmittance, bandgap (Eg), refractive index, dielectric constants and optical conductivity of CdO films in the Vis-NIR regions. The obtained Eg value is blue-shifted from 2.78 eV (plain CdO) to 3.03 eV (10 wt% of Ba:CdO). This increase in Eg value of Ba:CdO nanostructured films is interpreted in terms of the Burstein-Moss effect. The obtained novel results introduce Ba:CdO nanostructured films as serious competitors to the well-known wide bandgap semiconductors for different applications.