Structural, electrical, and optical properties of Si-doped ZnO thin films prepared via supercycled atomic layer deposition

•Si-ZnO thin film deposition by direct reaction of host metal and dopant: Zn-Si-O.•Picturesque explanation of ALD chemical reaction for Si doped ZnO thin films.•Improvement of the mobility of the Si doped ZnO thin films at low concentration of Si.•Statistical verification of the results to explain the effect of Si doping into ZnO thin films.