Growth and Auger electron spectroscopy characterization of donut-shaped ZnO nanostructures

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanodonuts have been obtained by vapor phase transport process utilizing a mixture of ZnO, graphite and erbium oxide powder as the evaporation source. ZnO nanodonuts prepared under various thermal processes indicate that ZnO nanodonuts start forming during the initial thermal ramp up stage. A subsequent holding of the growth temperature at 1000 °C causes the nanodonut to evolve into perfectly donut-shaped nanostructure. Additional deposition of ZnO on top of the nanodonut during the holding of the furnace temperature at 1000 °C result in partially filled nanodonuts or hemispherical nanostructures, or donuts that are completely buried beneath ZnO film. Auger electron spectroscopy depth profile analysis indicates that the deposited ZnO film is stoichiometric, whereas the nanodonuts and the completely filled hemispherical nanostructures are porous and are oxygen deficient. The volume density of the nanodonut is estimated to be 20% that of the background ZnO film.     

Formation of photoresist-free patterned ZnO film containing nano-sized Ag by photochemical solution deposition

Direct patterning of ZnO thin film was realized without photoresist and dry etching by photochemical solution deposition. Photosensitive ortho-nitrobenzaldehyde was introduced into the solution precursors as a stabilizer and contributed to form a cross-linked network structure during photochemical reaction. Ag nanoparticles were prepared with uniform size distribution using trisodium citrate as a capping agent to incorporate into ZnO thin film in order to reduce the electrical resistance of the film. The optical and electrical properties of ZnO film with or without Ag nanoparticles after anneal at various temperatures were investigated. The reduction in transmittance with the increase in anneal temperature was observed and also the increase in the electrical resistance was found. The increase in the surface roughness of ZnO film and the decrease of surface oxygen deficiencies were mainly responsible for the decrease in transmittance and the increase in electrical resistance, respectively.     

掺杂透明导电半导体薄膜的光电性能研究

掺杂氧化锌透明导电膜(AZO)是一种重要的光电子信息材料，其制备方法有真空蒸镀法、磁控溅射法，化学气相沉积和脉冲激光沉积法等。该文采用溶胶 凝胶（sol gel)工艺在普通玻璃基片上成功地制备出Al3+掺杂型ZnO透明导电薄膜。将这种薄膜在空气和真空中以不同的温度进行了退火处理，并对薄膜进行了XRD分析和光电性能研究。结果表明，所制备的薄膜为钎锌矿型结构，在c轴方向择优生长，真空退火有利于薄膜结晶状况的改善，并使薄膜的载流子浓度大幅度地增加而电阻率下降，并且真空退火对薄膜的透射率影响不大。     

Electrical properties of ZnO stabilized beta″-alumina

The electrical conductivity of ZnO doped (1?5 wt%) beta″-alumina ceramic samples has been measured by the complex admittance method. The smallest value of electrical resistivity was in the case of the samples doped with 3 wt% ZnO. The bulk conductivity dependence (in lnσT?1/T coordinates) is characterized by two slopes, with a bend occuring at about 250°C. The low temperature activation energy of bulk conductivity is not influenced by the doping level. The high temperature activation energy decreases with increasing ZnO content. The change in the slope of the Arrhenius plot of the beta-alumina bulk conductivity is in agreement with what should be expected from Wang's model.     

Electrical conductivity and optical properties of ZnO nanostructured thin film

The electrical conductivity, structural and optical properties of ZnO nanostructured semiconductor thin film prepared by sol-gel spin coating method have been investigated. The X-ray diffraction result indicates that the ZnO film has the polycrystalline nature with average grain size of 28 nm. The optical transmittance spectrum indicates the average transmittance higher than 90% in visible region. The optical band gap, Urbach energy and optical constants (refractive index, extinction coefficient, real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant) of the film were determined. The electrical conductivity of the film dependence of temperature was measured to identify the dominant conductivity mechanism. The conductivity mechanism of the film is the thermally activated band conduction. The electrical conductivity and optical results revealed that the ZnO film is an n-type nanostructured semiconductor with a direct band gap of about 3.30 eV at room temperature.     

Microstructure and electro-optical properties of sol–gel derived Cd-doped ZnO films

The microstructure, and the electrical and optical properties of undoped zinc oxide (ZnO) and cadmium-doped ZnO (CZO) films deposited by a sol–gel method have been investigated. The films have a polycrystalline structure with hexagonal wurtzite ZnO. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicated that the films have a wrinkle network with uniform size distributions. The elemental analyses of the CZO films were carried out by energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The fundamental absorption edge changed with doping. The optical band gap of the films decreased with Cd dopant. The optical constants of the films such as refractive index, extinction coefficient and dielectric constants changed with Cd dopant. A two-probe method was used to investigate the electrical properties, and the effect of Cd content on the electrical properties was investigated. The electrical conductivity of the films was improved by incorporation of Cd in the ZnO film.     

The influence of different doping elements on microstructure, piezoelectric coefficient and resistivity of sputtered ZnO film

ZnO film is attractive for high frequency surface acoustic wave device application when it is coupled with diamond. In order to get good performance and reduce insertion loss of the device, it demands the ZnO film possessing high electrical resistivity and piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃. Doping ZnO film with some elements may be a desirable method. In this paper, the ZnO films undoped and doped with Cu, Ni, Co and Fe, respectively (doping concentration is 2.0 at.%) are prepared by magnetron sputtering. The effect of different dopants on the microstructure, piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃, and electrical resistivity of the film are investigated. The results indicate that Cu dopant can enhance the c-axis orientation and piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃, the Cu and Ni dopant can increase electrical resistivity of the ZnO film up to 10⁹ Ω cm. It is promising to fabricate the ZnO films doped with Cu for SAW device applications.     

Stable p-ZnO thin films by oxygen control using reverse spray dynamics

Semiconducting ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by a modified CVD method using reverse spray of the precursor solutions. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Hall effect measurements at room temperature. The results of XRD analysis revealed polycrystalline nature of the grown films with different crystallographic orientations. The type of conductivity and the carrier concentration as determined from Hall effect measurements were dependent on the deposition temperature and annealing conditions. Oxygen control at 220 °C produced p-ZnO film with high hole mobility (193 cm²/V s). The electrical conductivity was correlated to the stoichiometry of the grown films.     

Sol–gel derived zinc oxide films: Effect of deposition parameters on structure, microstructure and photoluminescence properties

ZnO films were prepared by sol–gel method and deposited onto glass substrates with spin coating system. XRD patterns and FESEM analysis were used to investigate the effect of deposition parameters such as spin speed and molar concentration on the crystallinity and surface morphology of the films. XRD patterns show that ZnO films are polycrystalline with type-wurtzite hexagonal structure. The film which is deposited at 4000 rpm and with 0.5 M sol has the best crystallinity. The FESEM micrographs showed that the surface morphology of the films was not significantly affected from the spin speed. FESEM micrographs showed that the crystallite sizes of 1000, 4000 and 5000 rpm are almost same. But 2000 and 3000 rpm have lower crystallite sizes than the others. Also, the amount of voids in the 1 M was found higher. The effect of spin speed and molar concentration on the optical properties of ZnO films was investigated by PL spectroscopy. The electrical properties of the ZnO films were investigated by using two probe methods in dark. The highest conductivity values were obtained for ZnO films prepared by 4000 spin speed and 0.5 M of concentration.     

Thickness effect on the evolution of morphology and optical properties of ZnO films

N-Al co-doped ZnO films with various thicknesses were deposited on glass substrates by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP). The crystalline microstructure, morphology, distribution of elements and photoluminescence properties of ZnO films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The XRD and FESEM results show that with the increase of film thickness the grain size increases and the grain shape changes from regular hexagonal sheet-like to wedge-shaped, even pyramidal. The PL spectra illustrate that there is an obvious red-shift for the emission center from ultraviolet to blue region, and the intensities of defects emissions increase with the increase of thickness. In addition, the electrical properties are proved to be strongly affected by film thickness.     

Transparence and electrical properties of ZnO-based multilayer electrode

Three-layered ZnO/Ag–Ti/ZnO structures were prepared using both the sol-gel technique and DC magnetron sputtering. This study focuses on the electrical and optical properties of the ZnO/Ag–Ti/ZnO multilayers with various thicknesses of the Ag–Ti layer. The ZnO thin film prepared by the sol–gel method was dried at 300°C for 3 minutes, and a fixed thickness of 20 nm was obtained. The thickness of the Ag–Ti thin film was controlled by varying the sputtering time. The Ag–Ti layer substantially reduced the electrical resistivity of the sol–gel-sprayed ZnO thin films. The sheet resistance of the Ag–Ti layer decreased dramatically and then became steady beyond a sputtering time of 60 s. The sputtering time of Ag–Ti thin film deposition was determined to be 60 s, taking into account the optical transmittance. Consequently, the transmittance of the ZnO/Ag–Ti/ZnO multilayer films was 71% at 550 nm and 60% at 350 nm. The sheet resistance was 4.2 Ω/sq.     

Effects of surface roughness on the electrical characteristics of ZnO nanowire field effect transistors

We have systematically investigated the effects of surface roughness on the electrical characteristics of ZnO nanowire field effect transistors (FETs) before and after passivation by poly (methyl metahacrylate) (PMMA), a polymer-insulating layer. To control the surface morphology of ZnO nanowires, ZnO nanowires were grown by the vapor transport method on two different substrates, namely, an Au-catalyzed sapphire and an Au-catalyzed ZnO film/sapphire. ZnO nanowires grown on the Au-catalyzed sapphire substrate had smooth surfaces, whereas those grown on the Au-catalyzed ZnO film had rough surfaces. Electrical characteristics such as the threshold voltage shift and transconductance before and after passivation were strongly affected by the surface morphology of ZnO nanowires.     

Modeling of polycrystalline ZnO thin-film transistors with a consideration of the deep and tail states

We report a model of the carrier transport and the subgap density of states in a polycrystalline ZnO film for simulating a polycrystalline ZnO thin film transistor. This simple model considering the deep and the band tail states reproduces well the characteristics of polycrystalline ZnO thin film transistors. Furthermore, using the developed model, we study the effects of defect parameters on the electrical performances of the polycrystalline ZnO thin film transistors.     

籽晶层对喷雾热分解法生长ZnO薄膜结晶质量和光电性能的影响

通过脉冲激光沉积(PLD)方法在Si(100)衬底上沉积一层高质量的ZnO籽晶层,在籽晶层上进一步采用超声喷雾热分解(USP)法生长ZnO薄膜,研究了籽晶层对ZnO薄膜结晶质量和ZnO/Si异质结光电特性的影响。研究结果表明,在籽晶层的诱导作用下,USP法生长ZnO薄膜由多取向结构变为(002)单一取向,结晶性能得到了显著改善;籽晶层上生长的薄膜呈现出垂直于衬底生长的柱状晶结构,微观结构更加致密。通过研究紫外光照前后ZnO/Si异质结的整流特性,发现引入籽晶层后,反向偏压下异质结的光电响应显著增加,并且在开路状态下出现明显的光伏效应。     

The influence of substrate and annealing temperatures on electrical properties of p-type ZnO films

In this study, p-type ZnO films with excellent electrical properties were prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) combining with a N-Al codoping technique. The influence of the substrate temperature and annealing temperature on electrical properties of ZnO films was investigated. The growth and doping process of ZnO films was explored by thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and mass spectrum (TG-DSC-MS) measurements. It is suggested that the variation of electrical properties of ZnO films with the substrate temperature and annealing temperature results from the removal of H element out of the films.     

Formation of p-type ZnO film on InP substrate by phosphor doping

ZnO thin film was initially deposited on InP substrate by radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering and the diffusion process was performed using the closed ampoule technique where Zn₃P₂ was used as the dopant source. To verify the junction formation of ZnO thin films, the electrical properties were measured, and the effects of Zn₃P₂ diffusion on ZnO thin films were investigated. It is observed that the electrical property of the film is changed from n-type to p-type by dopant diffusion effect. Based on the results, it is confirmed that ZnO thin films can be a potential candidate for ultraviolet (UV) optical devices.     

Structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnO/Zn2GeO4 porous-like thin film and wires

Zinc oxide/zinc germanium oxide (ZnO/Zn₂GeO₄) porous-like thin film and wires has been fabricated by simple thermal evaporation method at temperature about 1120 °C for 2.5 h. The structural and optical properties of the porous-like-thin film and wires have been investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Metal semiconductor metal (MSM) photodetector structure was used to evaluate the electrical characteristics by using current-voltage (I-V) measurements. Room temperature photoluminescence spectrum of the sample shows one prominent ultraviolet peak at 378 nm and a shoulder at 370 nm. In addition, broad visible blue emission peak at wavelength 480 nm and green emission peak at 500 nm are also observed. Strong photoelectric properties of the MSM in the UV demonstrated that the porous-like-thin film and wires contribute to its photosensitivity and therefore making ZnO/Zn₂GeO₄ wires potential photodetector in the shorter wavelength applications.     

Optically and electrically pumped random lasing from ZnO films annealed at different temperatures

We have investigated the optically and electrically pumped random lasing (RL) actions in ZnO films annealed at low and high temperatures respectively. While the optically pumped RL threshold for the ZnO film annealed at a low temperature, which features stronger light scattering and larger optical loss, is far higher than that for the ZnO film annealed at a high temperature, the electrically pumped RL threshold currents for the two ZnO films are almost the same with the electrical pumping scheme of metal-insulator-semiconductor structure. It is suggested that if the lasing region within the ZnO film is narrow enough in the case of electrical pumping, the strong light scattering can substantially alleviate the adverse effect of large optical loss on the onset of RL.     

The luminescence of ZnO film grown on GaAs interlayer by PA-MOCVD

ZnO film was firstly prepared by PA-MOCVD method on the substrate pre-coated with GaAs interlayer. Hall measurement found that the GaAs interlayer had important effects on the electrical behavior of the ZnO film. It could make the ZnO film convert to p-type conductivity. The XPS results confirmed that the acceptor was arsenic. And the acceptor level was 130 meV above the ZnO valence band maximum. Low-temperature PL measurement was introduced to investigate the optical properties of both as-grown n-type and arsenic doped p-type ZnO films. Then, based on this technology, ZnO homojunction light emitting device (LED) was fabricated with arsenic doped p-type ZnO and unintentionally doped n-type ZnO on GaAs/p⁺-Si substrate. Its current-voltage (I-V) character showed a typical rectification behavior, which was different from the n-ZnO/p⁺-Si structure. The UV-visible (385-580 nm) electroluminescence was detected under relatively low current injection condition from the n-ZnO/p-ZnO/p⁺-Si LED.     

Sn doping effects on the electro-optical properties of sol gel derived transparent ZnO films

Undoped and tin (Sn) doped ZnO films have been deposited by sol gel spin coating method. The Sn/Zn nominal volume ratio was 1, 3 and 5% in the solution. The effect of Sn incorporation on structural and electro-optical properties of ZnO films was investigated. All the films have polycrystalline structure, with a preferential growth along the ZnO (002) plane. The crystallite size was calculated using a well-known Scherrer's formula and found to be in the range of 26-16 nm. X-ray diffraction patterns of the films showed that Sn incorporation leads to substantial changes in the structural characteristics of ZnO films. The SEM measurements showed that the surface morphology of the films was affected from the Sn incorporation. The highest average optical transmittance value in the visible region was belonging to the undoped ZnO film. The optical band gap and Urbach energy values of these films were determined. The absorption edge shifted to the lower energy depending on the Sn dopant. The shift of absorption edge is associated with shrinkage effect. The electrical conductivity of the ZnO film enhanced with the Sn dopant. From the temperature dependence of conductivity measurements, the activation energy of ZnO film increased with Sn incorporation.