Ammonia sensing characteristics of Yttrium doped ZnO thin films by RF magnetron sputtering

The fabrication of pure and yttrium doped (2 mol % and 6 mol %) ZnO thin film by RF sputtering for room temperature ammonia sensing is reported. Among these, 2 mol % yttrium doped ZnO thin film sensor shows high sensitivity, quick response, and recovery time due to high surface to volume ratio observed from Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). It was also well supported by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Hall effect measurement and Photoluminescence (PL) studies. The repeatability measurement also confirmed that the 2 mol % yttrium doped ZnO is effective material for room temperature ammonia sensing.