Abstract
One of the most frequently used methods for characterizing thin films is UV-Vis absorption. The near-edge region can be fitted to a simple expression in which the intercept gives the band-gap and the fitting exponent identifies the electronic transition as direct or indirect. (See Tauc et al., Physica Status Solidi, 1966; these are often called “Tauc” plots.) While the technique is powerful and simple, the accuracy of the fitted band-gap result is seldom stated or known. We tackle this question by refitting a large number of Tauc plots from the literature and look for trends. Nominally pure zinc oxide (ZnO) was chosen as a material with limited intrinsic deviation from stoichiometry and which has been widely studied. Our examination of the band gap values and their distribution leads to a discussion of some experimental factors that can bias the data and lead to either smaller or larger apparent values than would be expected. Finally, an easily evaluated figure-of-merit is defined that may help guide more accurate Tauc fitting. For samples with relatively sharper Tauc plot shapes, the population yields Eg (ZnO) as 3.276 +/- 0.033 eV, in good agreement with data for single crystalline material.