Effects of oxygen pressures on pulsed laser deposition of ZnO films

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films on Si (1 1 1) substrates were deposited by pulsed laser ablation of ZnO target at different oxygen pressures. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser with wavelength of 1064 nm was used as laser source. The deposited thin films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Raman spectroscopy. XRD measurements indicate that the ZnO thin films deposited at the oxygen pressure of 1.3 Pa have the best crystalline quality. AFM results show that the surface roughness of ZnO film increases with the increase of oxygen pressure. The Raman results indicate that oxygen ambient plays an important role in removing defects due to excess zinc.     

Relationship between the photoluminescence and conductivity of undoped ZnO thin films grown with various oxygen pressures

The pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique is used to deposit undoped ZnO thin films on glass substrates at 150 °C with different oxygen pressures of 40, 80, 100 and 150 mTorr. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies indicated that the obtained ZnO thin films were hexagonal wurtzite-type structures with strong (0 0 2) c-axis orientation. The relationship between photoluminescence and the conductivity of the ZnO thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition at various oxygen pressures was also discussed. The intensity of the deep-level-emission (DLE) and conductivity generally increased as the oxygen pressure decreased. The intensity of DLE peak was generally proportional to the conductivity. The band gap energy values, determined from transmittance spectra, were around 3.30-3.34 eV, and decreased when the oxygen pressure increased.     

Fabrication of p-ZnO:ZrN thin films by RF magnetron sputtering

An attempt has been made to fabricate p-ZnO thin films from the ZrN mixed ZnO targets by RF magnetron sputtering. The targets of different ZrN concentrations (0, 1, 2, and 4?mol%) have been prepared by solid-state reaction route. The ZrN-codoped ZnO films grown on semi-insulating Si (100) substrates have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), Hall effect measurement, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (ToF-SIMS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). XRD studies reveal that all films are oriented along (002) plane. The Hall measurements showed p-conductivity for 1 and 2?mol% ZrN-codoped ZnO films. Further, it has been found that 1?mol% ZrN-codoped film has low resistivity (7.5?×?10^?2?Ω?cm) and considerable hole concentration (8.2?×?10¹⁸?cm^?3) by optimum incorporation of nitrogen due to best codoping. The red shift in near-band-edge emission observed from PL well acknowledged the p-conduction in 1 and 2?mol% ZrN-codoped ZnO film. The incorporation of N and Zr atoms in the ZnO matrix has been confirmed by ToF-SIMS analysis. The increase in peak to valley roughness (R _pv) with increase of doping concentration has been observed from AFM analysis. ZnO homojunction has also been fabricated with the best codoped p-ZnO film and it showed typical rectification behavior of a diode. The junction parameters have also been determined for the fabricated homojunction.     

Nanostructure and optical properties of M doped ZnO (M=Ni, Mn) thin films prepared by sol-gel process

The transparent thin films of undoped, Mn-doped, and Ni-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) have been deposited on glass substrates via sol-gel technique using zinc acetate dehydrate, nickel chloride, and manganese chloride as precursors. The structural properties and morphologies of the deposited undoped and doped ZnO thin films have been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to examine the morphology and microstructure of the thin films. Optical properties of the thin films were determined by photoluminescence (PL) and UV/vis spectroscopy. The analyzed results indicate that the obtained films are of good crystal quality and have smooth surfaces, which have a pure hexagonal wurtzite ZnO structure without any Mn or Ni related phases. The band gap energy was estimated by Tauc's method and found to be 3.28, 3.26, and 3.34 eV for ZnO, Ni-doped ZnO, and Mn-doped ZnO thin films at room temperature, respectively. Room temperature photoluminescence is observed for the ZnO, Ni-doped ZnO, and Mn-doped ZnO thin films.     

射频磁控溅射法制备氮化硅基ZnO薄膜的光致发光性能研究

氮化硅薄膜因其耐腐蚀性、高温稳定性和良好的机械强度等优点,被广泛用作透射电子显微镜(TEM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、原子力显微镜(AFM)、X射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)、能量色散X射线光谱仪(EDX)等的表征实验承载体。特别是,SiN可作为SEM观察时的低扰背景。然而SiN薄膜较差的荧光性制约了其进一步在荧光器件中的广泛应用。为了进一步提高SiN薄膜窗口的荧光效率,实验研究中采用了射频磁控溅射技术在SiN_x薄膜衬底上成功制备出系列ZnO薄膜,并分别进行了氮气氛非原位退火和原位退火处理。然后利用原子力显微镜(AFM)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、拉曼光谱仪(Raman)对薄膜的微结构和光致发光(PL)性能进行了研究,并系统研究了所制备薄膜的发光情况。实验研究结果表明,镀膜后荧光强度普遍提升, 退火促进晶粒进一步熟化生长、结晶性能大幅提升、晶界减少,且退火方式对射频磁控溅射法制备的ZnO/SiN复合薄膜的微结构和发光性能有显著影响。与SiN_x薄膜相比,未退火的ZnO/SiN_x薄膜和N₂气氛非原位退火的ZnO/SiN_x薄膜在380 nm附近的带边本征发射强度分别提高了7.7倍和34.0倍以上。与非原位退火处理的薄膜相比,原位退火处理的ZnO/SiN_x薄膜具有更多的氧空位缺陷,因此表现出更强的可见光波段PL强度,在425～600 nm的可见光波段表现出更高的光致发光能力。这些结果有助于优化氮化硅基ZnO荧光薄膜的制备参数。     

脉冲激光沉积方法制备ZnO薄膜生长参量对发光特性的影响

用脉冲激光沉积（PLD）方法在Si（111）衬底上制备了ZnO薄膜。以325nmHe-Cd激光器为光源对薄膜进行了荧光光谱分析,用X射线衍射仪（XRD）和原子力显微镜（AFM）分别对薄膜的结构和形貌进行了分析。脉冲激光沉积方法的主要生长参量为氧压、激光重复频率、生长温度和激光能量。通过控制这些参量变量,研究了这些参量对ZnO薄膜发光特性的影响,得到了用于紫外发光的ZnO薄膜生长的优化条件：发现在温度为650℃左右、氧压50Pa左右、频率5Hz左右的范围内能得到半峰全宽较窄,强度较大的紫外发光峰。分析认为紫外峰主要是由激子辐射复合发光形成的,绿光带主要和Ozn的存在密切相关,氧空位是蓝光发射的重要原因。     

用锌有机源和CO2/H2混合气源PECVD沉积ZnO薄膜

在等离子体作用下,以CO2/H2混合气为氧源,Zn(C2H5)2锌为锌源,在单晶硅上生长出高度择优取向的氧化锌薄膜。X射线衍射分析表明,薄膜为六方结构,c轴高度择优;原子力显微镜观察到晶粒是有规律地按六方排布,薄膜的表面粗糙度较小;从光致发光谱还发现在380 nm处有非常强的紫外峰。     

Growth and characterization of pulsed laser deposited ZnO thin films

One of the most important and promising materials from metal oxides is ZnO with specific properties for near UV emission and absorption optical devices. The properties of ZnO thin films strongly depend on the deposition method. Among them, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) plays an important role for preparing various kinds of ZnO films, e.g. doped, undoped, monocrystalline, and polycrystalline. Different approaches — ablation of sintered ZnO pellets or pure metallic Zn as target material are described. This contribution is comparing properties of ZnO thin films deposited from pure Zn target in oxygen atmosphere and those deposited from sintered ZnO target. There is a close connection between final thin film properties and PLD conditions. The surface properties of differently grown ZnO thin films are measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, different approaches — ablation of sintered ZnO pellet or pure metallic Zn as target materials are described. The main results characterize typical properties of ZnO films versus technological parameters are presented. Presented at 5-th International Conference Solid State Surfaces and Interfaces, November 19–24, 2006, Smolenice Castle, Slovakia     

Preparation and characterization of Mg-doped ZnO thin films by sol-gel method

Undoped and Mg-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on Si(1 0 0) and quartz substrates by the sol-gel method. The thin films were annealed at 873 K for 60 min. Microstructure, surface topography and optical properties of the thin films have been measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscope (AFM), UV-vis spectrophotometer, and fluorophotometer (FL), respectively. The XRD results show that the polycrystalline with hexagonal wurtzite structure are observed for the ZnO thin film with Mg:Zn = 0.0, 0.02, and 0.04, while a secondary phase of MgO is evolved for the thin film with Mg:Zn = 0.08. The ZnO:Mg-2% thin film exhibits high c-axis preferred orientation. AFM studies reveal that rms roughness of the thin films changes from 7.89 nm to 16.9 nm with increasing Mg concentrations. PL spectra show that the UV-violet emission band around 386-402 nm and the blue emission peak about 460 nm are observed. The optical band gap calculated from absorption spectra and the resistivity of the ZnO thin films increase with increasing Mg concentration. In addition, the effects of Mg concentrations on microstructure, surface topography, PL spectra and electrical properties are discussed.     

氧分压对PLD制备ZnO薄膜结构和发光性质的影响

采用脉冲激光沉积(PLD)技术,在Si(100)衬底上制备出高度c轴取向的ZnO薄膜。通过X射线衍射(XRD)谱,扫描电镜(SEM)和室温光致发光(PL)光谱的测量,研究了生长气氛压强的改变对薄膜结构和光致发光的影响。实验结果表明,当氧压从10Pa升高到100Pa时ZnO(002)衍射峰的半峰全宽(FWHM)增大。可以认为这是由于较高的氧压下,到达衬底表面的离子动能减小。这样部分离子没有足够的能量迁移到生长较快的(002)面,c轴取向变差,导致(002)衍射峰的强度降低,半峰全宽增大。随着氧压增大,紫外发光强度增强。这可能是氧压变大,薄膜的化学配比升高,说明化学配比对UV发光的影响要大于薄膜微结构的影响。改变氧气压强对薄膜的表面形貌也有较大的影响。     

Effect of annealing temperature and annealing atmosphere on the structure and optical properties of ZnO thin films on sapphire (0 0 0 1) substrates by magnetron sputtering

ZnO thin films were epitaxially grown on sapphire (0 0 0 1) substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. ZnO thin films were then annealed at different temperatures in air and in various atmospheres at 800 °C, respectively. The effect of the annealing temperature and annealing atmosphere on the structure and optical properties of ZnO thin films are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence (PL). A strong (0 0 2) diffraction peak of all ZnO thin films shows a polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure and high preferential c-axis orientation. XRD and AFM results reveal that the better structural quality, relatively smaller tensile stress, smooth, uniform of ZnO thin films were obtained when annealed at 800 °C in N₂. Room temperature PL spectrum can be divided into the UV emission and the Visible broad band emission. The UV emission can be attributed to the near band edge emission (NBE) and the Visible broad band emission can be ascribed to the deep level emissions (DLE). By analyzing our experimental results, we recommend that the deep-level emission correspond to oxygen vacancy (V_O) and interstitial oxygen (O_i). The biggest ratio of the PL intensity of UV emission to that of visible emission (I_NBE/I_DLE) is observed from ZnO thin films annealed at 800 °C in N₂. Therefore, we suggest that annealing temperature of 800 °C and annealing atmosphere of N₂ are the most suitable annealing conditions for obtaining high quality ZnO thin films with good luminescence performance.     

Effect of temperature on pulsed laser deposition of ZnO films

ZnO thin films have been deposited on Si(1 1 1) substrates at different substrate temperature by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of ZnO target in oxygen atmosphere. An Nd:YAG pulsed laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm was used as laser source. The influences of the deposition temperature on the thickness, crystallinity, surface morphology and optical properties of ZnO films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), photoluminescence (PL) spectrum and infrared spectrum. The results show that in our experimental conditions, the ZnO thin films deposited at 400 °C have the best surface morphology and crystalline quality. And the PL spectrum with the strongest ultraviolet (UV) peak and blue peak is observed in this condition.     

The effect of nitrogen pressure on the two-step method deposition of GaN films

GaN thin films were deposited on sapphire (0001) substrates at different nitrogen pressures by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of GaN target in nitrogen atmosphere. Good single crystal GaN thin films were obtained after annealing at 1000 °C for 15 min in a NH₃ atmosphere. An Nd:YAG pulsed laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm was used as the laser source. The influence of nitrogen pressure on the thickness, crystallinity and surface morphology of GaN films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results show that at low nitrogen pressure, the surface diffusion of adatoms can be influenced by the collisions between the nitrogen gas molecules and the activated atoms, which can influence the kinetic energy of the activated atoms. However, at high nitrogen pressure, the kinetic energy of adatoms is decided by the annealing temperature. In our experimental conditions, the GaN thin films deposited at 0.75 and 7.5 Pa have a high surface morphology and crystalline quality. PACS 71.55.Eq; 74.62.Fj     

Influence of glucose on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel method

In this work, ZnO thin films were prepared by sol-gel method on glass substrates followed by calcinations at 500 °C for an hour. The effect of glucose on the structure and optical properties of the films was studied. The structural characteristics of the samples were analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The optical properties were studied by a UV-visible spectrophotometer. The results show that some of the prepared ZnO thin films have a high preferential oriented c-axis orientation with compact hexagonal wurtzite structure due to a proper amount of glucose introducing. After introducing the glucose additive in ZnO colloids, the intensity of (002) peak, the transmittance, and the optical band gap of the ZnO thin films increases because of the enhanced ZnO crystallization. On the contrary, the absorbance, the film thickness, and the surface root-mean-square (RMS) roughness of the ZnO thin films decreases. The glucose additive could not only improve the surface RMS roughness and microstructure of ZnO thin films, but also enhance the transmittance and the energy band gap more easily.     

Chemical and structural modifications of laser treated WTi surfaces at different ambient conditions

In this work we have studied the influence of laser modification on the composition and structure of tungsten titanium (WTi) thin films, deposited on n-type (100) silicon wafers. After deposition, the samples were multi-pulse laser irradiated in a nitrogen, oxygen, and helium ambient. The composition of the WTi/Si sample was determined by Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA). Surface morphology was monitored by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). In the experiment, typical laser output parameters were: wavelength 1064 nm, pulse duration 150 ps, and laser pulse energy 30 mJ. Surface concentrations of W and Ti, as well as the concentration of gas components nitrogen and oxygen were determinated before and after the action of laser radiation in different ambient conditions. The contents of W and Ti decreased after irradiation due to adsorbed gases from the surrounding atmosphere. After surface irradiation in the inert ambient (He), the concentrations of the components were not significantly changed. In other cases, oxygen was the dominant component at the surface, probably due to the high affinity of thin film components. Also, the morphological changes occurred at the surface of WTi, as an increase in the surface roughness and formation of the granular structures are a result of laser-induced surface oxidation and recrystallization.     

Structural and optical properties of sputtered ZnO thin films

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and aluminium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al) thin films were prepared by RF diode sputtering at varying deposition conditions. The effects of negative bias voltage and RF power on structural and optical properties were investigated. X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD) confirmed that both un-doped and Al-doped ZnO films are polycrystalline and have hexagonal wurtzite structure. The preferential 〈0 0 1〉 orientation and surface roughness evaluated by AFM measurements showed dependence on applied bias voltage and RF power. The sputtered ZnO and ZnO:Al films had high optical transmittance (>90%) in the wavelength range of 400-800 nm, which was not influenced by bias voltage and RF power. ZnO:Al were conductive and highly transparent. Optical band gap of un-doped and Al-doped ZnO thin films depended on negative bias and RF power and in both cases showed tendency to narrowing.     

过渡金属与F共掺杂ZnO薄膜结构及磁、光特性

采用溶胶-凝胶法在玻璃衬底上制备了过渡金属元素与F共掺杂Zn_0.98-xTM_xF_0.02O (TM_x=Cu_0.02, Ni_0.01, Mn_0.05, Fe_0.02, Co_0.05)薄膜, 进而利用X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜、紫外-可见透过谱、光致发光及振动样品磁强计等研究了薄膜的表面形貌、微结构、禁带宽度及光致发光(PL)和室温磁学特性. 研究表明: 掺杂离子都以替位的方式进入了ZnO晶格, 掺杂不会破坏ZnO的纤锌矿结构. 其中Zn_0.93Co_0.05F_0.02O薄膜样品的颗粒尺寸最大, 薄膜的结晶度最好且c轴择优取向明显; Zn_0.93Mn_0.05F_0.02O薄膜样品的颗粒尺寸最小, 薄膜结晶度最差且无明显的c轴择优取; Cu, Ni, Fe与F共掺杂样品的颗粒尺寸大小几乎相同. TM掺杂样品均表现出很高的透过率, 同时掺杂后的薄膜样品的禁带宽度都有不同程度的红移. PL谱观察到Zn_0.98-xTM_xF_0.02O薄膜的发射峰主要由较强的紫外发射峰和较弱的蓝光发射峰组成. Zn_0.93Mn_0.05F_0.02O薄膜样品的紫外发光峰最弱, 蓝光发射最强, 饱和磁化强度最大; 与之相反的是Zn_0.96Cu_0.02F_0.02O薄膜, 其紫外发光峰最强, 蓝光发射最弱, 饱和磁化强度最小. 结合微结构和光学性质对Zn_0.98-xTM_xF_0.02O薄膜的磁学性质进行了讨论.     

XRD study on the effect of the deposition condition on pulsed laser deposition of ZnO films

Using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) process on a ZnO target in an oxygen atmosphere, thin films of this material have been deposited on Si(111) substrates. An Nd: YAG pulsed laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm was used as the laser source. The influences of the deposition temperature, laser energy, annealing temperature and focus lens position on the crystallinity of ZnO films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The results show that the ZnO thin films obtained at the deposition temperature of 400°C and the laser energy of 250 mJ have the best crystalline quality in our experimental conditions. The ZnO thin films fabricated at substrate temperature 400°C were annealed at the temperatures from 400°C to 800°C in an atmosphere of N₂. The results show that crystalline quality has been improved by annealing, the optimum temperature being 600°C. The position of the focusing lens has a strong influence on pulsed laser deposition of the ZnO thin films and the optimum position is 59.5 cm from the target surface for optics with a focal length of 70 cm.      

基于SSCVD方法的a-b轴取向ZnO薄膜制备

以Zn₄(OH)₂(O₂CCH₃)₆·2H₂O为单一固相有机源,采用单源化学气相沉积法(Single sour cechem icalvapor deposition,SSCVD)在Si(100)衬底上制备ZnO薄膜,用X射线衍射(XRD)、原子力显微镜(AFM)分析ZnO薄膜样品的晶体结构和微观形貌,并用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)对薄膜的锌氧化学计量比进行了分析。研究结果表明:在非平衡条件下所得到的ZnO薄膜沿a-b轴取向生长,基片温度对ZnO薄膜生长过程影响较大,随着基片温度的升高,薄膜呈现c轴生长趋势;晶粒成柱状、尺寸均匀、膜层结构致密;薄膜样品中n_Zn:n_O=0.985。     

退火温度及退火气氛对ZnO薄膜的结构及发光性能的影响(英文)

采用脉冲激光沉积技术在Si/蓝宝石衬底上制备了ZnO薄膜,结合快速退火设备研究了不同退火温度(500~900℃)及退火气氛(N2,O2)对薄膜的结构及其发光性能的影响。并优化条件得到具有最小半峰全宽及最大晶粒尺寸的薄膜。X射线衍射(XRD)结果表明:氮气氛下退火的ZnO薄膜最佳退火温度为900℃;氧气氛下退火的ZnO薄膜最佳退火温度为800℃。红外(IR)光谱中,退火后Zn-O特征振动峰红移,说明在退火过程中,原子重新排布后占据较低能量位置;同样的退火温度下,氮气氛下退火的薄膜质量更优。同步辐射光电子能谱(synchrotron-based XPS)分别表征了未退火及N2,O2下900℃退火的ZnO薄膜,分峰拟合结果表明氧气氛下退火产生更多的氧空位。结构表征结合光致发光(PL)谱表明绿光的发光峰与氧空位有关。