Rare Earth Element Doped ZnO Thin Films and Applications

In this review, general information has been given about the recent studies on thin film coating techniques, zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films and zinc oxide films doped with rare earth elements (REE). As a thin film coating method, the sol‒gel method is widely used due to its economical nature. However, it has been seen that the magnteron sputter technique is also very popular due to its ease of application. Zinc oxide is a semiconductor with a wide band gap and is easy to produce and to supply. In addition, it does not have negative effects on the environment and human health. All these properties have led to intensive studies on zinc oxide. Due to its optical and electrical properties, it has found many different uses such as solar cells, light emitting diodes, gas sensors and flat panel displays. Recently, various studies have been carried out to improve the properties of zinc oxide and to create new areas of use by doping with rare earth elements.