Defect properties of CuCrO2: A density functional theory calculation

Using the first-principles methods,we study the formation energetics properties of intrinsic defects,and the charge doping properties of extrinsic defects in transparent conducting oxides CuCrO2.Intrinsic defects,some typical acceptortype,and donor-type extrinsic defects in their relevant charge state are considered.By systematically calculating the formation energies and transition energy,the results of calculation show that,V Cu,O i,and O Cu are the relevant intrinsic defects in CuCrO2 ;among these intrinsic defects,V Cu is the most efficient acceptor in CuCrO2.It is found that all the donor-type extrinsic defects have difficulty in inducing n-conductivity in CuCrO2 because of their deep transition energy level.For all the acceptor-type extrinsic defects,substituting Mg for Cr is the most prominent doping acceptor with relative shallow transition energy levels in CuCrO2.Our calculation results are expected to be a guide for preparing promising n-type and p-type materials in CuCrO2.     

First-principle study of extrinsic defects in CuScO2 and CuYO2

Using first-principles methods, we studied the extrinsic defects doping in transparent conducting oxides CuMO₂ (MSc, Y). We chose Be, Mg, Ca, Si, Ge, Sn as extrinsic defects to substitute for M and Cu atoms. By systematically calculating the impurity formation energy and transition energy level, we find that BeCu is the most prominent extrinsic donor and CaM is the prominent extrinsic acceptor. In addition, we find that Mg atom substituting for Sc is the most prominent extrinsic acceptor in CuScO₂. Our calculation results are expected to be a guide for preparing n-type and p-type materials through extrinsic doping in CuMO₂ (MSc,Y).     

Defect properties of CuCrO₂:A density functional theory calculation

Using the first-principles methods,we study the formation energetics properties of intrinsic defects,and the charge doping properties of extrinsic defects in transparent conducting oxides CuCrO2.Intrinsic defects,some typical acceptortype,and donor-type extrinsic defects in their relevant charge state are considered.By systematically calculating the formation energies and transition energy,the results of calculation show that,V Cu,O i,and O Cu are the relevant intrinsic defects in CuCrO2 ;among these intrinsic defects,V Cu is the most efficient acceptor in CuCrO2.It is found that all the donor-type extrinsic defects have difficulty in inducing n-conductivity in CuCrO2 because of their deep transition energy level.For all the acceptor-type extrinsic defects,substituting Mg for Cr is the most prominent doping acceptor with relative shallow transition energy levels in CuCrO2.Our calculation results are expected to be a guide for preparing promising n-type and p-type materials in CuCrO2.     

Identification of Acceptor States in Li-N Dual-Doped p-Type ZnO Thin Films

Li-N dual-doped p-type ZnO （ZnO：（Li, N）） thin films are prepared by pulsed laser deposition. The optical properties are studied using temperature-dependent photoluminescence. The Lizn-No complex acceptor with an energy 1evel of 138 me V is identified from the free-to-neutral-acceptor （e, A0 ） emission. The Haynes factor is about 0.087 for the Lizn-No complex acceptor, with the acceptor bound-exciton binding energy of 12meV. Another deeper acceptor state located at 248 meV, also identified from the （e, A0） emission, is attributed to zinc vacancy acceptor. The two acceptor states might both contribute to the observed p-type conductivity in ZnO：（Li,N）.     

First-principle study of native defects in CuScO2 and CuYO2

This paper studies the electronic structure and native defects in transparent conducting oxides CuScO2 and CuYO2 using the first-principle calculations. Some typical native copper-related and oxygen-related defects, such as vacancy, interstitials, and antisites in their relevant charge state are considered. The results of calculation show that, CuMO2（M = Sc, Y） is impossible to show n-type conductivity ability. It finds that copper vacancy and oxygen interstitial have relatively low formation energy and they are the relevant defects in CuScO2 and CuYO2. Copper vacancy is the most efficient acceptor, and under O-rich condition oxygen antisite also becomes important acceptor and plays an important role in p-type conductivity.     

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.     

Theoretical Studies on Defects of Kaolinite in Clays

Using the first-principles methods, we study the formation energeties and charge doping properties of the extrinsic substitutional defects in kaolinite. Especially, we choose Be, Mg, Ca, Fe, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn as extrinsic defects to substitute for Al atoms. By systematically calculating the impurity formation energies and transition energy levels, we find that all group-Ⅱ defects introduce the relative shallow transition energy levels in kaolinite. Among them, MgAl has the shallowest transition energy level at 0.08 eV above the valence band maximum. The transition- elemental defects FeAl, CrAl, and MnAl are found to have relative low formation energies, suggesting their easy formation in kaolinite under natural surrounding conditions. Our calculations show that the defects CuAl and ZnAl have the high formation energies and deep transition energy levels, which exclude the possibility of their formation in natural kaolinite.     

Copper and native defects in zinc telluride

Zinc telluride crystals were grown from tellurium-rich solutions containing 10¹⁷–10²⁰ cm^?3 atoms of copper. The copper concentrations in these crystals were measured by activation analysis. Hall effect and resistivity measurements were performed. Photoluminescence spectra were also determined. Our interpretation of the different results is that copper brings about both acceptor defects Cu_Zn with a 0·12–0·13 eV ionization energy, and donor defects. The second acceptor level of the zinc vacancy was found to be at 0·15 eV.     

CuGaO2 thin film synthesis using hydrogen-assisted pulsed laser deposition

Phase formation, crystallinity, and orientation of CuGaO₂ thin films is reported in which hydrogen gas is utilized as a reducing reactant during growth to drive the valence state of Cu to +1. At relatively low growth temperatures, the films are a mixture of CuGaO₂, Cu₂O, and CuGa₂O₄. At higher temperatures, the majority phase is CuGaO₂. The use of H₂ during film growth facilitated the formation of the delafossite phase. Phase purity is further improved via high temperature annealing. The formation of the delafossite phase via post-annealing treatment is in agreement with the thermodynamic equilibrium studies of the Cu-Ga-O system, showing that the CuGaO₂ phase is thermodynamically stable under the conditions considered. With the post-annealing process, we achieved phase-pure CuGaO₂ films with p-type resistivity on the order of 30 Ω cm and carrier density of mid-10¹⁷ cm^-3. PACS 71.20.Nr; 73.61.Le; 81.15.-z     

A first-principles theoretical simulation on the electronic structures and optical absorption properties for O vacancy and Ni impurity in TiO2 photocatalysts

The band structures and optical absorption spectra of O vacancy and Ni ion doped anatase TiO₂ were successfully calculated and simulated by a plane wave pseudopotential method based on density functional theory (DFT). From the calculated results, a phenomenon of “impurity compensation” was found: the lower formation energy for O vacancy than Ni impurity indicated that introducing the intrinsic defect of O vacancy into Ni ion doped TiO₂ sample was very possible; the positive binding energy for the combination of O vacancy and Ni impurity indicated that two defects were apt to bind to each other; While Ni impurity produced the donor levels in the forbidden band of TiO₂, Ni impurity with O vacancy produced the acceptor levels upon which the excitation led to the photogenerated electrons with high energy and transferability. The combination of absorption spectra for O vacancy and Ni impurity with O vacancy models could reproduce the experimental measurement very well.     

Influence of Dopants in ZnO Films on Defects

The influence of dopants in ZnO films on defects is investigated by slow positron annihilation technique. The results show S that parameters meet S_Al>S_un>S_Ag for Al-doped ZnO films, undoped and Ag-doped ZnO films. Zinc vacancies are found in all ZnO films with different dopants. According to S parameter and the same defect type, it can be induced that the zinc vacancy concentration is the highest in the Al-doped ZnO film, and it is the least in the Ag-doped ZnO film. When Al atoms are doped in the ZnO films grown on silicon substrates, Zn vacancies increase as compared to the undoped and Ag-doped ZnO films. The dopant concentration could determine the position of Fermi level in materials, while defect formation energy of zinc vacancy strongly depends on the position of Fermi level, so its concentration varies with dopant element and dopant concentration.     

Investigation of Oxygen Vacancy and Interstitial Oxygen Defects in ZnO Films by Photoluminescence and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

ZnO films prepared at different temperatures and annealed at 900^o C in oxygen are studied by photoluminescence （PL） and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. It is observed that in the PL of the as-grown films the green luminescence （GL） and the yellow luminescence （YL） are related, and after annealing the GL is restrained and the YL is enhanced. The 0 ls XPS results also show the coexistence of oxygen vacancy （Vo） and interstitial oxygen （Oi） before annealing and the quenching of the Vo after annealing. By combining the two results it is deduced that the GL and YL are related to the Vo and Oi defects, respectively.     

Defect generation in polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se2 by high-energy electron irradiation

We investigate the degradation of ZnO/CdS/ Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ heterojunction solar cells for space applications and the defect generation in polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin films by irradiation with 1-MeV electrons with fluences J_e up to J_e=5᎒¹⁸ cm^-2. Notable degradation of the solar cell performance starts at fluences of J_e=10¹⁷ cm^-2 where the open circuit voltage decreases by about 5% while short circuit current and fill factor remain essentially unaffected. Thus, Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar cells withstand electron fluences which are higher by one order of magnitude or more when compared to other technologies. A model describes the absolute open circuit voltage loss considering the increase of space charge recombination by electron irradiation-induced defects. Defect analysis by admittance spectroscopy shows that acceptor defects with an energy distance of approximately 300 meV from the valence band are generated at a rate %=0.017 (ǂ.01) cm^-1.     

Effect of Process Parameters on Laser Damage Threshold of TiO2 Coatings

We investigate the laser damage behaviour of an electron-beam-deposited TiO2 monolayer at different process parameters. The optical properties, chemical composition, surface defects, absorption and laser-induced damage threshold （LIDT） of films are measured. It is found that TiO2 films with the minimum absorption and the highest LIDT can be fabricated using a TiO2 starting material after annealing. LIDT is mainly related to absorption and is influenced by the non-stoichiometric defects for TiO2 films. Surface defects show no evident effects on LIDT in this experiment.     

Stability and magnetism of vacancy in NiO: A GGA+U study

Native vacancy defects in typical strongly correlated oxides NiO have been investigated using the GGA+U method. The defect formation energies under different conditions are determined and magnetisms induced by vacancies are studied. Our results indicate that the predominant defect is Ni vacancy under oxygen-rich condition and the most stable ionization state varies with different Fermi level. The Ni vacancy forms shallow acceptor, suggesting the native p-type conductivity originates from the cation vacancy. In addition, after introducing a Ni vacancy, a half-metallic antiferromagnet or half-metallic ferromagnet can form according to different ionization state of cation vacancy.     

Study on Irradiation Damage of Bi-Doped PbWO4 Crystal

The luminescence and point defects of pure lead tungstate crystals (PbWO₄) and Bismuth (Bi) doping crystal (PbWO₄:Bi)grown by modified Bridgman method are studied. It is found that irradiation results in the great change of the transmission and X-ray excited emission after γ-ray irradiation about 4 Mrad dose. The defects in PbWO₄ crystal have been studied by means of positron annihilation lifetime and X-ray photoelectron spectra. The results show that Bi dopant suppresses the concentrations of positron capture centers and low-valent oxygen ions.After γ-ray irradiation,in the pure crystal the concentration of lead vacancy (V_Pb) is decreased and that of low-valent oxygen increased; on the contrary,in Bi dopant crystal the concentrations of positron capture centers increased and that of low-valent oxygen ions suppressed. It is tentatively proposed that Bi³⁺ dopants would mainly occupy the sites of lead vacancies resulted from Pb volatilization. And irradiation changes the chemical valence of Bi element,which is Bi³⁺→Bi⁵⁺.The Bi⁵⁺ will replace the lattice W⁶⁺ ions and it will cause some (WO₄)^2－ replaced by (BiO₃+V_O)^－.     

Defect formation and water incorporation in Y2O3

The molecular statics method is used to study the formation of defects and water incorporation in Y₂O₃. The crystal structure, the isothermal compressibility, and the formation enthalpy of Y₂O₃ calculated with the chosen interaction potentials are in good agreement with the experimental data. The formation energies of intrinsic and impurity defects are evaluated. The binding energy of protons and oxygen vacancies with an acceptor impurity at different distances is calculated. Various water incorporation reactions in the oxide are examined, including the mechanisms involving oxygen interstitial sites and oxygen vacancies produced by the acceptor doping. It is shown that the water incorporation in pure Y₂O₃ is energetically less favorable than in the acceptor doped oxide.     

Evolution of Structural Defects in SiOx Films Fabricated by Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Chemical Vapour Deposition upon Annealing Treatment

We study the structural defects in the SiO, film prepared by electron cyclotron resonance plasma chemical vapour deposition and annealing recovery evolution. The photoluminescence property is observed in the as-deposited and annealed samples. [-SiO3]^2- defects are the luminescence centres of the ultraviolet photoluminescence （PL） from the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and PL measurements. [-SiO3]^2- is observed by positron annihilation spectroscopy, and this defect can make the S parameters increase. After 1000℃ annealing, [-SiO3]^2- defects still exist in the films.     

Vacancy Aggregation in Diamond Films grown in CH4＋H2 Atmosphere by MPCVD

Transmission electron microscopy is applied to study the diamond film grown in a CH₄ and H₂ gaseous mixture by microwave plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition. Defects in the nanometre scale, dislocation loops, arefirst observed in diamond films. The dislocation loops are found to be of co-existence with planar defects and are next to the planar defects for {111} faceting grains. A possible mechanism is suggested to interpret the co-existence of dislocation loops with planar defects.     

Atomic Diffusion in Cu/Si （111） and Cu/SiO2/Si （111） Systems by Neutral Cluster Beam Deposition

The Cu films are deposited on two kinds of p-type Si （111） substrates by ionized duster beam （ICB） technique. The interface reaction and atomic diffusion of Cu/Si （111） and Cu/SiO2/Si （111） systems are studied at different annealing temperatures by x-ray diffraction （XRD） and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry （RBS）. Some significant results are obtained： For the Cu/Si （111） samples prepared by neutral dusters, the interdiffusion of Cu and Si atoms occurs when annealed at 230℃. The diffusion coefficients of the samples annealed at 230℃ and 500℃ are 8.5 ×10^-15 cm^2.s^-1 and 3.0 ×10^-14 cm^2.s^-1, respectively. The formation of the copper-silicide phase is observed by XRD, and its intensity becomes stronger with the increase of annealing temperature. For the Cu/SiO2//Si （111） samples prepared by neutral dusters, the interdiffusion of Cu and Si atoms occurs and copper silicides are formed when annealed at 450℃. The diffusion coefficients of Cu in Si are calculated to be 6.0 ×10^-16 cm^2.s^-1 at 450℃, due to the fact that the existence of the SiO2 layer suppresses the interdiffusion of Cu and Si.