Hybrid organic-inorganic thin films based on zinc phthalocyanine and zinc oxide deposited by MAPLE

•MAPLE deposition of hybrid thin films based on ZnPc and ZnO nanoparticles.•ZnO nanoparticles having ~30 nm in size were synthesized by chemical precipitation.•UV–VIS spectra of the hybrid films disclose the bands specific to the ZnPc and ZnO.•Emission spectra of the hybrid films reveal the ZnO characteristic bands.•Hybrid structures present photovoltaic effect under illumination. Hybrid organic-inorganic thin films based on zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and ZnO nanoparticles were deposited by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE). Synthesized by a simple wet chemical precipitation method, the ZnO nanoparticles were featured by a hexagonal wurtzite structure, a band-gap value of ~3.3 eV and emission bands typical for this semiconductor. The hybrid films containing ZnPc and various amounts of ZnO nanoparticles were evaluated from morphological, compositional, structural, optical and electrical point of view. No chemical decomposition of the organic compound was observed in the FTIR spectra of the deposited layers. The transmittance and photoluminescence spectra recorded on hybrid films disclose the optical signature of both organic (ZnPc) and inorganic (ZnO) components. The electrical measurements carried out under illumination emphasized the importance of the quantity of the inorganic component on the performance parameters of the structures prepared with the hybrid films. Our study provides new insight in the MAPLE deposition of the organic-inorganic hybrid films with potential applications in the photovoltaic cells area.