Work

Synthesis and characterization of iron interlayers as modulators of optical and dielectric performance in ZnO thin films

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This work explores the influence of Fe interlayer thickness on the morphology, optical, and dielectric behavior of ZnO-based multilayer film prepared by a combined ALD-DC technique. Morphology was analyzed using focused ion beam (FIB) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), while optical properties were evaluated through transmittance and reflectance measurements. The prepared lamellae confirmed well-defined thickness of each individual layer, and (EDX) confirmed the absence of other elements present in the thin-film samples under study. According to the results presented in the obtained figures, the increase of the Fe thickness in ZnO/Fe/ZnO system leads to a decrease in transmittance and an increase in reflectance, refractive index ( n ), extinction coefficient ( k ), and reflectivity ( R ref ). Both the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant (ε 1 & ε 2 ) , as well as the dielectric loss (tanδ) increases with Fe content, while the optical quality factor (Q) decreases. Moreover, the carrier concentration to effective mass ratio (N/m * ) and both optical and electrical conductivity (σ opt & σ elec ) increases, whereas the electrical modulus (M * ) decreases with increasing Fe thickness . The Wemple-DiDomenico single-oscillator (WDD) model was employed to determine the dispersion parameters, from which the nonlinear refractive index (n 2 ) and third-order nonlinear susceptibility (Χ (3) ) was estimated. These results highlight the significant role of Fe in tailoring the optical and dielectric properties of ZnO-based ͌͂ opto-electronics applications.

Source: Journal of Materials Science Materials in Electronics

DOI: 10.1007/s10854-026-16594-5