First-principles study of electronic structure and ferromagnetism in Ti-doped ZnO

We perform first-principles spin polarized calculations of the electronic structure of Ti-doped in ZnO. Ferromagnetism in Ti-doped ZnO is identified, which is in agreement with recent experimental and calculated results. A net magnetic moment of 0.715μ_B is found per Ti. At a Ti concentration of 12.5%, total energy calculations show that the ferromagnetic state is 68 meV lower than the antiferromagnetic state. The electronic states near Fermi energy are dominated by strong hybridization between O 2p and Ti 3d, which is just the origin of impurity band in Ti-doped ZnO and also implies that the Ti-O bond is quite covalent instead of purely ionic. Since there is no magnetic element in this compound, Ti-doped ZnO appears to be an unambiguous dilute magnetic semiconductor.     

Ti-incorporated ZnO films synthesized via magnetron sputtering and its optical properties

Undoped and Ti-doped ZnO films were deposited using radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering at various sputtering powers. The crystal structures, surface morphology, chemical state and optical properties in Ti-doped ZnO films were systematically investigated via X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometer. Results indicated that titanium atoms may replace zinc atomic sites substitutionally or incorporate interstitially in the hexagonal lattices, and a moderate quantity of Ti atoms exist in the form of sharing the oxygen with Zn atoms and hence improve the (0 0 2) orientation. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the Ti-doped ZnO films contain one main blue peak, whose intensity increased with the increase of sputtering power. Our results indicated that a higher compressive stress in Ti-doped ZnO films results in a lower optical band gap and a lower transmittance, and various Ti impurities can affect the concentration of the interstitial Zn and O vacancies.     

纳米ZnO薄膜的光致发光性质

利用溶胶－凝胶法制备了纳米ZnO薄膜,室温下测量了样品的光致发光谱(PL)、吸收谱(ABS)、X射线衍射谱(XRD)．X射线衍射(XRD)的结果表明：纳米ZnO薄膜呈多晶状态,具有六角纤锌矿晶体结构和良好的C轴取向．观察到二个荧光发射带,中心波长分别位于395 nm的紫带、524 nm的绿带和450 nm附近的蓝带．证实了纳米ZnO薄膜绿光可见发射带来自氧空位(VO)形成的浅施主能级和锌空位(VZn)形成的浅受主能级之间的复合;450 nm附近的蓝带来自电子从VO的浅施主能级到价带顶或锌填隙(Zni) 到价带顶或导带底到VZn的浅受主能级的复合．     

Ce和O空位共掺杂TiO_2的电子结构与光学性质

采用基于密度泛函理论加U的计算方法,研究了Ce和O空位单(共)掺杂锐钛矿相TiO_2的电子结构和光吸收性质.计算结果表明,Ce和O空位共掺杂TiO_2的带隙中出现了杂质能级,且带隙窄化为2.67 eV,明显比纯TiO_2和Ce,O空位单掺杂TiO_2的要小,因而可提高TiO_2对可见光的响应能力,使TiO_2的光吸收范围增加.光吸收谱显示,掺杂后TiO_2的光吸收边发生了显著红移;在400.0—677.1 nm的可见光区,共掺杂体系的光吸收强度显著高于纯TiO_2和Ce单掺杂TiO_2,而略低于O空位单掺杂TiO_2.此外,Ce掺杂TiO_2中引入O空位后,TiO_2的导带边从-0.27 eV变化为-0.32 eV,这表明TiO_2的导带边的还原能力得到了加强.计算结果为Ce和O空位共掺杂TiO_2在可见光光解水方面的进一步研究提供了有力的理论依据.     

氧空位浓度对ZnO电子结构和吸收光谱影响的研究

目前,氧空位对ZnO形成杂质能级的研究结果存在相反的结论,深杂质能级和浅杂质能级两种实验结果均有文献报道,并且,在实验中高温加热的条件下,氧空位体系ZnO中导带自由电子增加的来源认识不足.为了解决此问题,本文采用密度泛函理论框架下的第一性原理平面波超软赝势方法,建立了纯的与两种不同氧空位浓度ZnO超胞模型,分别对模型进行了几何结构优化、态密度分布、能带分布、布居值和差分电荷密度的计算.结果表明,氧空位浓度越大,系统能量越上升、稳定性越下降、形成能越高、氧空位越难、导带越向低能方向移动、电子跃迁宽度越减小、吸收光谱越红移.这对设计制备新型氧空位ZnO体系光学器件有一定的理论指导作用.     

First-principles study of photoconductivity in BaTiO3 with oxygen vacancies

The photoconductivity of BaTiO_2.5 with oxygen vacancy has been studied by the linear muffin-tin orbital method in the atomic sphere approximation (LMTO-ASA). The ground-state structure of BaTiO_2.5 is obtained by minimization of the total energy. The partial densities of states show that the occupied states at the bottom of the conduction band have primarily Ti d orbital character. The photoconductivity shows that two novel features, in the low energy side, can be attributed to the intraband transition of free electronic carriers in the vicinity of the Fermi level and the interband transition of the Ti 3d(yz) related band states, to the Ti 3d(xy,xz) related band states, respectively. In addition, it is also found that the anisotropy of photoconductivity is enhanced because of the introduction of oxygen vacancy. The system can show the conductive behavior of electronic carriers, which is qualitatively in agreement with a recent experimental finding.     

Study on the defects of ZnO nanowire

The room-temperature photoluminescence property of ZnO nanowires was studied. It showed an ultraviolet peak and a visible light band in the PL spectrum. Through Gaussian fitting, it was found that the visible light band can be divided into two peaks at 2.37 eV and 2.53 eV, which was originated from oxygen antisite and oxygen vacancy defects, respectively. After being exposed to air or post-annealed in oxygen ambience, aging effect was observed and the peak at 2.53 eV disappeared due to the removal of oxygen vacancy defects. Therefore, it is suggested that oxygen antisite and oxygen vacancy coexist in ZnO and induce visible light emission.     

金红石型TiO_2中四种点缺陷态研究

利用第一性原理计算方法研究了金红石型TiO_2中四种缺陷的电子态.这四种缺陷包括氧空位(O_v)、钛空位(Ti_V)、钛间隙(Ti_S)以及氧空位O_v与钛间隙态Ti_S共存态.氧空位的存在导致禁带内施主缺陷能级较浅,而深施主能级与Ti间隙态有关.预测了氧空位更倾向于与钛间隙结合,主要通过钛间隙态的3d电子部分转移到近邻近氧空位的部分形成O_V-Ti_S对缺陷.具有O_v、Ti_S或O_V-Ti_S缺陷的体系都出现间隙态,促进体系出现红外吸收.     

A first-principles study of the effect of oxygen vacancy on rutile Ti1−xCdxO2

A first-principles study has been performed to understand the effect of oxygen vacancy on the electronic properties of cadmium doped rutile TiO₂. We observe that Cd incorporation on rutile TiO₂ induces Cd p-states on the top of the valence band which is consistent with an earlier result of Zhang et al. (2008) [5]. Furthermore, by creating an oxygen vacancy, some new states are induced, which originate from the Ti 3d electrons at the middle of the band gap and spread up to the conduction band. Therefore, the band gap of the material reduces significantly, making it suitable to act as a better photocatalyst.     

Electronic structures of hydrogen in perovskite-type oxide,SrTiO3

The electronic structures of hydrogen in SrTiO₃ are simulated by the DV-Xα molecular orbital method. In pure SrTiO₃, there is a band gap of about 3.5 eV between the O-2p valence band and the Ti-3d conduction band, in agreement with experiments. When Sc is doped into SrTiO₃, an acceptor level appears just above the valence band. On the other hand, when hydrogen is introduced into SrTiO₃, a donor level appears below the conduction band. The molecular orbital of the donor level is composed mostly of the Ti-3d and O-2p electrons, but still there is a small occupancy (6%∼12%) of the H-1s electrons in it. When both Sc and hydrogen coexist in SrTiO₃, charge transfer takes place from the donor level to the acceptor level. As a result of this charge compensation, the effective ionicity of hydrogen becomes about +0.17∼+0.24, the value of which is dependent on the hydrogen positions in the crystal lattice. Also, the chemical bond strengths between constituent ions are modified largely by dopants. For example, the Sc doping tends to strengthen the chemical bond between hydrogen and oxygen ions, but instead to weaken the chemical bond between the oxygen ion and the surrounding metal ions. In addition, it is shown that an oxygen ion vacancy makes the defect level below the conduction band in the Sc-doped oxide.     

Defects at the TiO2(1 0 0) surface probed by resonant photoelectron diffraction

We report photoelectron diffraction (PED) experiments of weakly sub-stoichiometric TiO₂(1 0 0) rutile surfaces. Apart from standard core-level PED from the Ti-2p3/2 line, we have studied valence band PED from the defect induced Ti-3d states in the insulating band gap. For maximum yield, the latter were resonantly excited at the Ti-2p absorption edge. The PED patterns have been analyzed within the forward scattering approximation as well as by comparison with simulated PED patterns obtained in multiple scattering calculations. The analysis shows that the defect induced Ti-3d charge is mainly located on the second layer Ti atoms.     

纳米ZnO薄膜可见发射机制研究

利用溶胶－凝胶法 （Sol-Gel）制备了纳米ZnO薄膜,获得了高强的近紫外发射室温下测量了样品的光致发光谱(PL )、吸收谱(ABS)、X射线衍射谱(XRD).X射线衍射(XRD)的结果表明：纳米ZnO薄膜呈多晶态,具有六角纤锌矿结构和良好的C轴取向;发现随退火温度升高,（002）衍射峰强度显著增强,衍射峰的半高宽（FWHM）减小、纳米颗粒的粒径增大.由吸收谱(ABS)给出了样品室温下带隙宽度为3.30 eV.在PL谱中观察到二个荧光发射带,一个是中心波长位于392 nm附近强而尖的紫带,另一个是519 nm附近弱而宽的绿带研究了不同退火温度样品的光致发光峰值强度的变化关系,发现随退火温度升高,紫带峰值强度增强、绿带峰值强度减弱,均近似呈线性变化.证实了纳米ZnO薄膜绿光发射主要来自氧空位(Vo)形成的浅施主能级与锌空位(VZn)形成的浅受主能级之间的复合,或氧空位(Vo)形成的深施主能级上的电子至价带顶的跃迁;紫带来自于导带中的电子与价带中的空位形成的激子复合.     

Reversible resistance switching properties in Ti-doped polycrystalline Ta2O5 thin films

Unipolar reversible resistance switching effects were found in 5 at% Ti-doped polycrystalline Ta₂O₅ films with the device structure of Pt/Ti–Ta₂O₅/Pt. Results suggest that the recovery/rupture of the conductive filaments which are involved in the participation of oxygen vacancies and electrons leads to the resistance switching process. Ti-doped Ta₂O₅ thin films possess higher resistance whether in low-resistance state or high-resistance state and higher resistance switching ratio than Ta₂O₅ thin films, where Ti addition plays an important role in the resistance switching process by suppressing the migration of oxygen vacancies via forming an electrically inactive Ti/O–vacancy complex. Excellent retention properties of the high and low resistances under constant stress of applied voltage were obtained.     

利用第一性原理研究Ni掺杂ZnO铁磁性起源

采用基于密度泛函理论和局域密度近似的第一性原理分析了Ni掺杂ZnO磁性质.文中计算了8个不同几何结构的铁磁(FM)和反铁磁耦合能量,结果表明FM耦合更稳定.态密度结果显示Ni 3d 与O 2p发生杂化,导致费米能级附近电子态自旋极化.文中也分析了O空位对Ni掺杂ZnO铁磁性质的影响,O空位通过诱导电子调节FM耦合,从而稳定Ni掺杂ZnO铁磁性质,其强度足以引发室温铁磁性.通过Ni 3d能级耦合具体分析了Ni 掺杂ZnO铁磁性起源.另外,也分析了晶格应变对Ni掺杂ZnO FM耦合的影响. 关键词： 第一性原理 半导体 铁磁性 缺陷     

Density functional theory study of NO2-sensing mechanisms of pure and Ti-dopedWO3 （002） surfaces

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are employed to explore the NO₂-sensing mechanisms of pure and Ti-doped WO₃ (002) surfaces. When Ti is doped into the WO₃ surface, two substitution models are considered: substitution of Ti for W_6c and substitution of Ti for W_5c. The results reveal that substitution of Ti for 5-fold W forms a stable doping structure, and doping induces some new electronic states in the band gap, which may lead to changes in the surface properties. Four top adsorption models of NO₂ on pure and Ti-doped WO₃ (002) surfaces are investigated: adsorptions on 5-fold W (Ti), on 6-fold W, on bridging oxygen, and on plane oxygen. The most stable and likely NO₂ adsorption structures are both N-end oriented to the surface bridge oxygen O_1c site. By comparing the adsorption energy and the electronic population, it is found that Ti doping can enhance the adsorption of NO₂, which theoretically proves the experimental observation that Ti doping can greatly increase the WO₃ gas sensor sensitivity to NO₂ gas.     

Effect of Ti doping on Ta2O5 stacks with Ru and Al gates

The Ti-doped Ta₂O₅ thin films (<10 nm) obtained by rf sputtering are studied with respect to their composition, dielectric and electrical properties. The incorporation of Ti is performed by two methods - a surface doping, where a thin Ti layer is deposited on the top of Ta₂O₅ and a bulk doping where the Ti layer is sandwiched between two layers of Ta₂O₅. The effect of the process parameters (the method and level of doping) on the elemental distribution in-depth of the films is investigated by the time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS). The Ti and Ta₂O₅ are intermixed throughout the whole thickness but the layers are very inhomogeneous. Two sub-layers exist in all the samples — a near interfacial region which is a mixture of Ta-, Ti-, Si-oxides as well as TaSiO, and an upper Ti-doped Ta₂O₅ sub-layer. For both methods of doping, Ti tends to pile-up at the Si interface. The electrical characterisation is performed on capacitors with Al- and Ru-gate electrodes. The two types of MIS structures exhibit distinctly different electrical behavior: the Ru gate provides higher dielectric permittivity while the stacks with Al electrode are better in terms of leakage currents. The specific metal-dielectric reactions and metal-induced electrically active defects for each metal electrode/high-k dielectric stack define its particular electrical behavior. It is demonstrated that the Ti doping of Ta₂O₅ is a way of remarkable improvement of leakage characteristics (the current reduction with more than four orders of magnitude as compared with undoped Ta₂O₅) of Ru-gated capacitors which originates from Ti induced suppression of the oxygen vacancy related defects.     

Electronic properties of anatase TiO2 doped by lanthanides: A DFT+U study

The effects of mono-doping of 4f lanthanides with and without oxygen vacancy defect on the electronic structures of anatase TiO₂ have been studied by first-principles calculations with DFT+U (DFT with Hubbard U correction) to treat the strong correlation of Ti 3d electrons and lanthanides 4f electrons. Our results revealed that dopant Ce is easy to incorporate into the TiO₂ host by substituting Ti due to its lower substitutional energy (∼−2.0 eV), but the band gap of the system almost keeps intact after doping. The Ce 4f states are located at the bottom of conduction band, which mainly originates from Ti 3d states. The magnetic moment of doped Ce disappears due to electron transfer from Ce to the nearest O atoms. For Pr and Gd doping, their substitutional energies are similar and close to zero, indicating that both of them may also incorporate into the TiO₂ host. For Pr doping, some 4f spin-down states are located next to the bottom of the conduction band and narrow the band gap of the doping system. However, for Gd doping, the 4f states are located in deep valence band and there is no intermediate band in the band gap. The magnetic moment of dopant Gd is close to the value of isolated Gd atom (∼7 μB), indicating no overlapping between Gd 4f with other orbitals. For Eu, it is hard to incorporate into the TiO₂ host due to its very higher substitutional energy. The results also indicated that oxygen vacancy defect may enhance the adsorption of the visible light in Ln-doped TiO₂ system.     

Ti0.33WO3电子结构和太阳辐射屏蔽性能第一性原理研究

节能减排已成为当今社会发展的主题,对节约能源、提高太阳能的高效综合利用的新型窗用透明隔热材料的理论设计和研究尤其重要.本文采用基于密度泛函理论的计算方法,研究了六方相三氧化钨Ti掺杂前、后的晶格参数、电子能带结构、形成能和光学性质.研究结果表明,Ti掺杂后晶格体积增大,系统能量降为负值,体系具有更好的稳定性;掺杂后电子能带结构发生很大的变化,但材料仍保持n型电导率;随之,其光学性质也发生改变,掺杂前h-WO3无近红外吸收性能,掺杂后的Ti0.33WO3具有很强的近红外吸收性能.在此基础上研究了Ti掺杂h-WO3前、后的太阳辐射屏蔽性能,掺杂前无太阳辐射屏蔽性能;掺杂后的Ti0.33WO3薄膜具有可见光高透明、近红外屏蔽的性能.计算结果为Ti掺杂h-WO3在窗用透明隔热材料方面的研究提供了理论依据.     

Influence of nitrogen doping on the defect formation and surface properties of TiO2 rutile and anatase

Nitrogen doping-induced changes in the electronic properties, defect formation, and surface structure of TiO2 rutile(110) and anatase(101) single crystals were investigated. No band gap narrowing is observed, but N doping induces localized N 2p states within the band gap just above the valence band. N is present in a N(III) valence state, which facilitates the formation of oxygen vacancies and Ti 3d band gap states at elevated temperatures. The increased O vacancy formation triggers the 1 x 2 reconstruction of the rutile (110) surface. This thermal instability may degrade the catalyst during applications.     

Nature of native defects in ZnO

This study revealed the nature of native defects and their roles in ZnO through positron annihilation and optical transmission measurements. It showed oxygen vacancies are the origin for the shift in the optical absorption band that causes the red or orange coloration. It also revealed experimental evidence that the donor nature of oxygen vacancy is approximately 0.7 eV. In addition, this work showed the Zn interstitial was not the donor in the as-grown ZnO and supported recent calculations that predicted hydrogen in an oxygen vacancy forms multicenter bonds and acts as a shallow donor.