  This investigation deals with the effect of annealing temperature on the
structural, topographical and optical properties of Zinc Oxide thin films
prepared by sol gel method. The structural properties were studied using X-ray
diffraction and the recorded patterns indicated that all the films had a
preferred orientation along (002) plane and the crystallinity along with the
grain size were augmented with annealing temperature. The topographical
modification of the films due to heat treatment was probed by atomic force
microscopy which revealed that annealing roughened the surface of the film. The
optical properties were examined by a UV visible spectrophotometer which
exhibited that maximum transmittance reached nearly 90% and it diminished with
increasing annealing temperature.
