Effect of Atmospheric Dielectric Barrier Discharge on Optical, Electrical and Surface Properties of ZnO Film

Among the numerous metal oxide semiconductors, zinc oxide (ZnO) is one of the most widely used materials in various fields due to its non-toxic nature, tunable electric and optical properties, and good thermal and chemical stability. This research aims to study the tuning of optical, electrical, and surface properties of ZnO film treated with dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma produced at atmospheric pressure. The result revealed a significant decrease in its optical band gap, but there was an increase in conductivity. The results of contact angle measurement clearly showed the change of surface nature from hydrophobic to hydrophilic for DBD-treated ZnO film.