Controlled Growth of Zn-Polar ZnO Films on Al-Terminated α-Al2O3(0001) Surface by Using Wurtzite MgO Buffer

The controlled growth of Zn-polar ZnO fihns on Al-terminated α-Al203 （0001） substrates is investigated by the radio-frequency plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy method. Prior to the growth, α-Al2O3 （0001） surface is modified by an ultrathin MgO layer, which serves as a uniform template for epitaxy of Zn-polar ZnO films. The microstructures of ZnO/MgO/Al2O3 interface are investigated by in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction observations and ex-situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy characterization. It is found that under Mg-rich condition, the achievement of the wurtzite MgO ultrathin layer plays a key role in the subsequent growth of Zn-polar ZnO. An interracial atomic model is proposed to explain the mechanism of polarity selection of both MgO and ZnO films.     

Electrical Properties of La-Doped Al2O3 Films on Si （100） Substrates as a High-Dielectric-Constant Gate Material

Amorphous La-doped Al2O3 （La： Al2O3） thin films are deposited on n-type （100） Si substrates by rf magnetron co-sputterlng. The composition of the deposited films is measured by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy： Capacitance-voltage measurement shows that the dielectric constant k of La-doped Al2O3 films ranges from 8.5 to 11.6 with the increasing La content, and the highest k value of 11.6 is obtained for the 20.14% La content film. In the structure of the Al/La：Al2O3/Si metal oxide semiconductor, the dominant conduction stems from the space- charge-limited current at different temperatures. In addition, the wavelength dependence of the transmittance is studied by ultraviolet spectroscopy and the band gap of all the deposited films is above 5.5eV. The results demonstrate that La-doped Al2O3 can meet the requirement of next-generation gate materials.     

Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism in Zn1-xMnxO Thin Films Deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Zn1-xMnxO （x = O.Olq3.1） thin films with a Curie temperature above 300K are deposited on Al2O3 （0001） substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, ultraviolet （UV）-visible transmission and Raman spectroscopy are employed to characterize the microstructural properties of these films. Room temperature ferromagnetism is observed by superconducting quantum interference device （SQUID）. The results indicate that Mn doping introduces the incorporation of Mn^2＋ ions into the ZnO host matrix and the insertion of Mn^2＋ ions increases the lattice defects, which is correlated with the ferromagnetism of the obtained films. The doping concentration is also proven to be a crucial factor for obtaining highly ferromagnetic Zn1-xMnxO films.     

Synthesis of GaN Nanorods by Ammoniating Ga2O3/ZnO Films

Large quantities of CaN nanorods are successfully synthesized on Si（111） substrates by ammoniating the films of Ga2O3/ZnO at 950℃ in a quartz tube. The structure, morphology and optical properties of the as-prepared CaN nanorods are studied by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and photoluminescence. The results show that the CaN nanorods have a hexagonal wurtzite structure with lengths of several micrometres and diameters from 80 nm to 300hm, which could supply an attractive potential to harmonically incorporate future GaN optoelectronic devices into Si-based large-scale integrated circuits. The growth mechanism is also briefly discussed.     

Effect of Post-Annealing on Microstructural and Electrical Properties of N^＋Ion-Implanted into ZnO：In Films

We fabricate p-type conductive ZnO thin films on quartz glass substrates by codoping of In-N using radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique together with the direct implantation of acceptor dopants （nitrogen）. The effects of thermal annealing on the structure and electrical properties of the ZnO films are investigated by an x-ray diffractometer （XRD） and a Hall measurement system. It is found that the best p-type ZnO film subjected to annealed exhibits excellent electrical properties with a hole concentration of 1.22 × 10^18 cm^-3, a Hall mobility of 2.19 cm^2 V^-1 s^- 1, and a low resistivity of about 2.33 Ωcm, indicating that the presence of In may facilitates the incorporation of N into ZnO thin films.     

Comparisons of Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO films Grown on Sapphire and Si（001）

Zinc oxide films were grown on sapphire and Si(001) substrates by reactive electron beam evaporation at low substrate temperatures,Atomic force microscopy(AFM),x-ray diffraction(XRD),and photoluminescence excitation(PLE) are employed to characterize the as-grown films.The AFM measurements have shown that all of the ZnO films present pillar-like growth properties.but the dimensional uniformity of the ZnO crystal pillars grown on sapphire was better than that on Si(001),The XRD results indicated that the prepared ZnO films both on sapphire and Si(001) were all highly c-axis oriented.the linewidths of ZnO(002)are only 0.19 and 0.28,respectively,The PLE characterizations revealed the continum absorption of the samples grown on sapphire,However,in the PLE spectra of the ZnO films grown on Si(001) substrates,a broad peak appears at the high-energy region,which indicates the formation of ZnO quantum dot structures on Si(001).     

Influences of Annealing on the Opto—electronic Properties of ZnO Films Grown by Plasma—Enhanced MOCVD

ZnO thin films have been grown on C-plane sapphire substrates by plasma-enhanced metal-organic chemical vapour deposition.The samples are then annealed at a higher temperature.The resistivity,concentration of electron,mobility and optically pumped threshold of both as-grown and annealed films are investigated.Furthermore,their structural and optical properties are also examined with x-ray diffraction,emission spectra and optical transmission spectra.The results indicate that the quality of ZnO thin films can be improved by annealing.     

Optical constants of aluminum films prepared by electron beam evaporation

The metal aluminum （Al） is widely used because it has high reflectivity from the ultraviolet to the infrared band. But the new deposited Al films is exposed to the atmosphere, it forms transparent Al2O3 films on its surface at once. In this letter, the Al films is deposited on the quartz substrate by electron beam evaporation. The effect of Al films oxidation on refractive index and extinction coefficient is investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry （SE）. The optical constants of Al films change with the increase of oxidation time. The two parameters become stable when these films are exposed in air more than 2 days.     

Effect of Ag Doping on Optical and Electrical Properties of ZnO Thin Films

ZnO thin films were prepared on p-type Si (100) substrates by the sol-gel process. The influence of Ag doping at a content of 0.002% on the photoluminescence and current-voltage (I - V) characteristics of ZnO thin films has been investigated. It is found that Ag doping leads to a pronounced increase in the intensity of near band edge emission at 3.23eV and a remarkable red shift of the visible broadband at room temperature. The I - V characteristics of ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions are also changed. These results could be explained by Ag substituting for Zn in Ag doped ZnO thin films.     

Photoluminescence of ZnO and Mn-Doped ZnO Polycrystalline Films Prepared by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition

ZnO and Mn-doped ZnO polycrystalline films are prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition at low temperature （220℃）, and room-temperature photoluminescence of the films is systematically investigated. Analysis from x-ray diffraction reveals that a11 the prepared films exhibit the wurtzite structure of ZnO, and Mndoping does not induce the second phase in the films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the existence of Mn^2＋ ions in the films rather than metalic Mn or Mn^4＋ ions. The emission efficiency of the ZnO film is found to be dependent strongly on the post-treatment and to degrade with increasing temperature either in air or in nitrogen ambient. However, the enhancement of near band edge （NBE） emission is observed after hydrogenation in ammonia plasma, companied with more defect-related emission. Furthermore, the position of NBE shifts towards to high-energy legion with increasing Mn-doped concentration due to Mn incorporation into ZnO lattice.     

Characterization of Al2O3 Thin Films on GaAs Substrate Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition

Al2O3 thin films are grown by atomic layer deposition on GaAs substrates at 300℃. The structural properties of the Al2O3 thin film and the Al2O3/GaAs interface are characterized using x-ray diffraction （XRD）, high- resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM）, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. The XRD results show that the as-deposited Al2O3 film is amorphous. For 30 atomic layer deposition growth cycles, the thicknesses of the Al2O3 thin film and the interface layer from the HRTEM are 3.3 nm and 0.Snm, respectively. XPS analyses reveal that the Al2O3/GaAs interface is almost free from As2O3.     

Structural and mechanical properties of Al–C–N films deposited at room temperature by plasma focus device

The Al–C–N films are deposited on Si substrates by using a dense plasma focus(DPF) device with aluminum fitted central electrode(anode) and by operating the device with CH_4/N_2 gas admixture ratio of 1:1. XRD results verify the crystalline Al N(111) and Al_3CON(110) phase formation of the films deposited using multiple shots. The elemental compositions as well as chemical states of the deposited Al–C–N films are studied using XPS analysis, which affirm Al–N, C–C, and C–N bonding. The FESEM analysis reveals that the deposited films are composed of nanoparticles and nanoparticle agglomerates. The size of the agglomerates increases at a higher number of focus deposition shots for multiple shot depositions. Nanoindentation results reveal the variation in mechanical properties(nanohardness and elastic modulus)of Al–C–N films deposited with multiple shots. The highest values of nanohardness and elastic modulus are found to be about 11 and 185 GPa, respectively, for the film deposited with 30 focus deposition shots. The mechanical properties of the films deposited using multiple shots are related to the Al content and C–N bonding.     

Effect of Annealing Temperature on Structural and Optical Properties of N-Doped ZnO Films

Nitrogen-doped ZnO （ZnO：N） films are prepared by thermal oxidation of sputtered Zn3N2 layers on A1203 substrates. The correlation between the structural and optical properties of ZnO：N films and annealing temperatures is investigated. X-ray diffraction result demonstrates that the as-sputtered Zn3N2 films are transformed into ZnO：N films after annealing above 600℃. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that nitrogen has two chemical states in the ZnO：N films： the No acceptor and the double donor （N2）o. Due to the No acceptor, the hole concentration in the film annealed at 700℃ is predicted to be highest, which is also confirmed by Hall effect measurement. In addition, the temperature dependent photoluminescence spectra allow to calculate the nitrogen acceptor binding energy.     

Dependence of Photovoltaic Property of ZnO/Si Heterojunction Solar Cell on Thickness of ZnO Films

N-ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions are prepared by sputtering deposition of intrinsic ZnO films on p-Si substrates. Thicknesses of ZnO films are altered by varying the deposition time from I h to 3h. The electrical properties of these structures are analysed from capacitance-voltage （C V） and current-voltage （I-V） characteristics performed in a dark room. The results demonstrated that all the samples show strong rectifying behaviour. Photovoltaie property for the samples with different thicknesses of ZnO films are investigated by measuring open circuit voltage and short circuit current. It is found that photovoltages are kept to be almost constant of 320 m V along with the thickness while photoeurrents changing a lot. The variation mechanism of the photovoltade effect as a function of thickness of ZnO films is investigated.     

Structural, Morphology and Optical Properties of Epitaxial ZnO Films Grown on Al2O3 by MOCVD

Epitaxial ZnO films are grown on Al2O3 （0001） by the MOCVD method. These films are high quality wurtzite crystals with （0001） orientation. Big hexagonal crystallites （diameter from several decades to 100 μm） are found on the surface. Inside these crystallites, a stronger luminescence is observed compared with the plain area. Transmission electronic microscopy reveals that the film is thicker inside the hexagonal crystallites than the plain area, and some crystallites are not connected with each other and are slightly rotated with respect to their neighbours.     

Epitaxial Properties of Co-Doped ZnO Thin Films Grown by Plasma Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy

High quality Co-doped ZnO thin films are grown on single crystalline Al2O3（0001） and ZnO（0001） substrates by oxygen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy at a relatively lower substrate temperature of 450℃. The epitaxial conditions are examined with in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction （RHEED） and ex-situ high resolution x-ray diffraction （HRXRD）. The epitaxial thin films are single crystal at film thickness smaller than 500nm and nominal concentration of Co dopant up to 20%. It is indicated that the Co cation is incorporated into the ZnO matrix as Co^2＋ substituting Zn^2＋ ions. Atomic force microscopy shows smooth surfaces with rms roughness of 1.9 nm. Room-temperature magnetization measurements reveal that the Co-doped ZnO thin films are ferromagnetic with Curie temperatures Tc above room temperature.     

Dependence of Intrinsic Defects in ZnO Films on Oxygen Fraction Studied by Positron Annihilation

Defects in ZnO films grown by radio-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering under variable ratios between oxygen and argon gas have been investigated by using the monoenergetie positron beam technique. The dominate intrinsic defects in these ZnO samples are O vacancies （Vo） and Zn interstitials （Zni） when the oxygen fraction in the O2/Ar feed gas does not exceed 70% in the processing chamber. On the other hand, zinc vacancies are preponderant in the ZnO films fabricated in richer oxygen environment. The concentration of zinc vacancies increases with the increasing O2 fraction. For the oxygen fraction 85%, the number of zinc vacancies that could trap positrons will be smaller. It is speculated that some unknown defects could shield zinc vacancies. The concentration of zinc vacancies in the ZnO films varies with the oxygen fraction in the growth chamber, which is in agreement with the results of photolurninescence spectra.     

The effects of Zn vacancies on ferromagnetism in Cu-doped ZnO films controlled by oxygen pressure and Li doping

Zn0.99Cu0.01O films were studied experimentally and theoretically.The films were prepared by pulsed-laser deposi tion on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates under various oxygen pressures to investigate the growth-dependence of the ferromag netic properties.The structural,magnetic,and optical properties were studied,and it was found that all the samples possess a typical wurtzite structure,and that the films exhibit room-temperature ferromagnetism.The sample deposited at 600℃and an oxygen pressure of 10 Pa showed a large saturation magnetization of 0.83μB/Cu.The enhanced ferromagnetism in the(Cu,Li)-codoped ZnO is attributable to the existence of Zn vacancies(VZn),as shown by first-principles calcu lations.The photoluminescence analysis demonstrated the existence of V Zn in both Zn0.99Cu0.01O and(Cu,Li)-codoped ZnO thin films,and this plays an important role in the increase of ferromagnetism,according to the results of first-principles calculations.     

Influences of Y2O3 dopant content on residual stress,structure, and optical properties of ZrO2 thin films

Four kinds of Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2 （YSZ） thin films with different Y2O3 contents （from 0 to 12 mol%） are deposited on BK7 glass substrates by electron-beam evaporation method. The effects of different Y2O3 dopant contents on residual stress, structure, and optical properties of ZrO2 thin films are investigated. The results show that residual stress in YSZ thin films varies from tensile to compressive with the increase of Y2O3 molar content. The addition of Y2O3 is beneficial to the crystallization of YSZ thin film and transformation from amorphous to high temperature phase, and the refractive index decreases with the increase of Y2O3 molar content. Moreover, the variations of residual stress and the shifts of refractive index correspond to the evolution of structures induced by the addition of Y2O3.     

Influence of Post-Annealing Temperature on Properties of Ta-Doped ZnO Transparent Conductive Films

Ta-doped ZnO transparent conductive films are deposited on glass substrates by rf sputtering at 300℃. The influence of the post-annealing temperature on the structural, morphologic, electrical, and optical properties of the films is investigated by x-ray diffraction, Hall measurement, and optical transmission spectroscopy. The lowest resistivity of 3.5 ×10^-4 Ω·cm is obtained from the film annealed at 400℃in N2. The average optical transmittance of the films is over 90%. The optical bandgap is found to decrease with the increase of the annealing temperature.