Characterization of ZnO thin films grown on various substrates by RF magnetron sputtering

In this study we investigated properties of ZnO thin films deposited on both oxygen-containing substrates and a substrate without oxygen content at various O₂/Ar reactant gas ratios. Deposition of ZnO on indium-tin oxide (ITO) resulted in the best crystallinity, whereas the least degree of crystallization was observed from ZnO deposited on glass. All the films were found to have compressive stress, which was relieved by annealing in O₂ environment. ZnO films deposited on glass revealed p-type conductivity when prepared at O₂/Ar ratio of 0.25 whereas those on SiN_x yielded p-type conductivity when prepared at O₂/Ar ratio of 4. In addition, shallower oxygen interstitial seemed to be found from films with better crystallinity. The largest shift in binding energy of Zn_2p3/2 was observed from ZnO prepared on glass at O₂/Ar ratio of 0.25, whereas that of O_1s was obtained from ZnO deposited on SiN_x at O₂/Ar ratio of 4. A model was proposed in terms of O₂ diffusion and hydrogen desorption in order to account for the observed property variations depending on substrates and O₂/Ar ratios.     

Surface modified polymeric gate insulators for pentacene organic thin-film transistors

This paper demonstrates effects of a surface modification of polymeric gate insulators on a performance of organic thin-film transistor (OTFT). Pentacene OTFTs were fabricated with three types of polymer gate insulators—poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVP, G1) with comparably high dielectric constant, polyimide (PI, G2) with n-octadecyl (C₁₈) side chain, which resulted in hydrophobicity and low dielectric constant, and surface modified PVP(G3). The G3 was prepared by a spin-coating the solution of G2 onto the G1 film. We found that the n-octadecyl group of the G3 protruded from the surface and made the PVP surface more hydrophobic. The less polar surface strongly improved the device performance. Subthreshold slope (s.s.) of the OTFT with G3 as the gate insulator decreased significantly to 2.7 V/dec, which was much smaller than that of OTFTs fabricated with G1 (4.0 V/dec). That is, thin layer with fewer C₁₈ group in contact with pentacene induced a good electrical property like lower s.s. Further the higher dielectric constant of the underlying layer resulted in higher mobility of the device. The mobility (0.50 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹) of the OTFT with G3 as the gate insulator showed a higher value compared to that (0.25 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹) of the OTFT with G2.     

Low-voltage-drive and high output current ZnO thin-film transistors with sputtering SiO2 as gate insulator

Low-voltage-drive ZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) with room-temperature radio frequency magnetron sputtering SiO₂ as the gate insulator were fabricated successfully on the glass substrate. The ZnO-TFT operates in the enhancement mode with a threshold voltage of 4.2 V, a field effect mobility of 11.2 cm²/V s, an on/off ratio of 3.1 × 10⁶ and a subthreshold swing of 0.61 V/dec. The drain current can reach to 1 mA while the gate voltage is only of 12 V and drain voltage of 8 V. The C–V characteristics of a MOS capacitor with the structure of ITO/SiO₂/ZnO/Al was investigated. The carrier concentration N_D in the ZnO active layer was determined, the calculated N_D is 1.81 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, which is the typical value of undoped ZnO film used as the channel layer for ZnO-TFT devices. The experiment results show that SiO₂ film is a promising insulator for the low voltage and high drive capability oxide TFTs.     

反应磁控溅射ZnO/MgO多量子阱的光致荧光光谱分析

采用反应射频磁控溅射方法，在Si(001)基片上制备了具有高c轴择优取向的ZnO/MgO多量子阱.利用X射线反射、X射线衍射、电子探针，光致荧光光谱等表征技术，研究了ZnO/MgO多量子阱的结构、成份和光致荧光特性.研究结果表明，多量子阱的调制周期在1.85—22.3 nm之间，所制备的多量子阱具有量子限域效应，导致了室温光致荧光峰的蓝移，并观测到了量子隧穿效应引起的荧光效率下降.建立了基于多声子辅助激子复合跃迁理论的室温光致荧光光谱优化拟合方法，通过室温光致荧光光谱拟合发现，ZnO/MgO比ZnO/ZnMgO多量子阱具有更大的峰位蓝移，探讨了导致光致荧光光谱展宽的可能因素. 关键词： ZnO/MgO 多量子阱 磁控溅射 光致荧光 量子限域效应     

Solution-processed ZnO nanoparticle-based semiconductor oxide thin-film transistors

We have prepared solution-processed oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors using ZnO nanoparticles with various particle shapes. Uniform, dense, thin films were produced by spin-coating ZnO nanoparticle dispersions containing either nanorods or nanospheres. The influence of annealing atmosphere on both nanoparticle-based TFT devices was investigated. XPS analysis revealed that the ZnO particles of the nanorod and nanosphere dispersions have distinct stoichiometries (i.e., molar ratios of Zn:O). The starting particles in turn predetermine the carrier concentration within the annealed ZnO films, which in turn determines whether the device is a semiconductor or metallic conductor, depending upon the annealing atmosphere. Grain structures of the channel layer also play an important role in determining the device performance of the nanoparticle derived ZnO TFTs.     

p-type ZnO thin films grown by RF plasma beam assisted Pulsed Laser Deposition

The high exciton binding energy and band gap energy of ZnO thin films open the prospect of fabricating semiconductor lasers in the ultraviolet spectral range. A prerequisite for laser diode fabrication is highly p-doped ZnO which was not reproducibly obtained up to now. Without intentional doping ZnO exhibits n-type conduction. ZnO thin films have been obtained by radio-frequency assisted pulsed laser deposition. A metallic Zn target was used for ablation in an oxygen and nitrogen RF discharge. The electrical and morphological properties of the films grown on Si were studied by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), optical absorption and Hall Effect measurements for different ratios between the nitrogen and oxygen content. The AFM images of the as-grown ZnO films reveal high quality surfaces with low values for the surface roughness and a sharp distribution of grains sizes as an effect of the RF discharge. The XRD patterns for all samples exhibit only (002) and (004) peaks indicating that the c-axis is always oriented normal to the substrate surface. The films present p-type conductivity with different carrier concentration and mobility depending on the nitrogen/oxygen ratio.     

磁控溅射制备ZnO薄膜及其声表面波特性

通过射频磁控溅射技术在GaAs，Au/GaAs，Si和玻璃基片上成功制备了ZnO多晶薄膜，利用X射线衍射对ZnO薄膜的取向、结晶性进行了表征，结果表明ZnO薄膜呈完全c轴取向，Au缓冲层可以有效地改善ZnO薄膜的晶体质量，X射线摇摆曲线结果表明ZnO(002)衍射峰的半高宽仅为2.41°，同时发现Au缓冲层的结晶质量对ZnO薄膜的c轴取向度有很大影响，通过扫描电子显微镜对ZnO/GaAs和ZnO/Au/GaAs薄膜的表面形貌进行了观测，利用网络分析仪对IDT/ZnO/GaAs薄膜的声表面波特性进行了测量. 关键词： ZnO薄膜 X射线衍射 声表面波     

Indium oxide thin-film holographic recorders grown by excimer laser reactive sputtering

2 O₃) thin films on glass substrates is performed by pulsed laser ablation of a metallic indium target in an oxygen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction analysis verifies that a transition, from amorphous to polycrystalline film growth, occurs at a temperature of 150 °C. Films grown under optimized conditions exhibit optical transmission higher than 80% in the visible light. Ultraviolet radiation (λ= 325 nm) induced dynamic holographic recording in films deposited at specific temperature and oxygen pressure settings is also demonstrated. Received: 25 April 1997/Accepted: 27 May 1997     

Comparison of ZnO thin films grown on a polycrystalline 3C-SiC buffer layer by RF magnetron sputtering and a sol-gel method

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on a polycrystalline (poly) 3C-SiC buffer layer using RF magnetron sputtering and a sol-gel method. The post-deposition annealing was performed on ZnO thin films prepared using both methods. The formation of ZnO piezoelectric thin films with less residual stress was due to a close lattice mismatch of the ZnO and SiC layers as obtained by the sputtering method. Nanocrystalline, porous ZnO film prepared using the sol-gel method showed strong ultraviolet UV emission at a wavelength of 380 nm. The 3C-SiC buffer layer improved the optical and piezoelectric properties of the ZnO film produced by the two deposition methods. Moreover, the different structures of the ZnO films on the 3C-SiC intermediate layer caused by the different deposition techniques were also considered and discussed.     

Composition influence of SiNx gate insulator fabricated by radio frequency (RF) Magnetron sputtering on characteristics of organic thin-film transistors

To investigate the effect of composition of SiNx on the properties of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), we fabricated bottom gate top contact OTFTs devices with different composition SiNx gate insulator. Pentacene based OTFTs with SiNx insulator, prepared using an interface modification process of UV-ozone treatment, exhibited effective mobility of 0.63 cm2/Vs and on/off current ratio of 10⁵. Overall improvement in field-effect mobility, threshold voltage was observed as silicon content in SiNx increases. The results demonstrate that the viability of using SiNx for OTFTs and of UV-ozone treatment could be used to improve the properties of organic thin-film transistors. The dependence of the contact angle on the SiNx film composition is evident for the untreated samples, the contact angle increases as the silicon content in the untreated nitride film increases. In contrast, the rise in contact angle across all samples after surface treatment signifies effective surface modification to promote hydrophobicity of the nitride surface. The hydrophobic surface is needed for the organic semiconductor.     

Fast response ultraviolet photoconductive detectors based on Ga-doped ZnO films grown by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

A metal-semiconductor-metal photoconductive detector was fabricated on c-axis preferred oriented Ga-doped ZnO (ZnO:Ga) thin film prepared on quartz by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. With a 10 V bias, a responsivity of about 2.6 A/W at 370 nm was obtained in the ultraviolet region. The photocurrent increases linearly with incident power density for more than two orders of magnitude. The transient response measurement revealed photoresponse with a rise time of 10 ns and a fall time of 960 ns, respectively. The results are much faster than those reported in photoconductive detectors based on unintentionally doped n-type ZnO films.     

Characteristics of ZnO:In thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

In-doped ZnO (ZnO:In) transparent conductive thin films were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The effect of substrate temperature on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the ZnO:In thin films was investigated. It was found that higher temperature improves the crystallinity of the films and promotes In substitution easily. ZnO:In thin films with the best crystal quality were fabricated at 300 °C, which exhibit a larger grain size of 29 nm and small tensile strain of 0.9%. The transmittance of all the films was revealed to be over 85% in the visible range independence of the substrate temperatures and the lowest resistivity of ZnO:In thin films is 2.4×10⁻³ Ω cm.     

Positive gate-bias temperature instability of ZnO thin-film transistor

The positive gate-bias temperature instability of a radio frequency （RF） sputtered ZnO thin-film transistor （ZnO TFT） is investigated. Under positive gate-bias stress, the saturation drain current and OFF-state current decrease, and the threshold voltage shifts toward the positive direction. The stress amplitude and stress temperature are considered as important factors in threshold-voltage instability, and the time dependences of threshold voltage shift under various bias temperature stress conditions could be described by a stretched-exponential equation. Based on the analysis of hysteresis behaviors in current- voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics before and after the gate-bias stress, it can be clarified that the threshold- voltage shift is predominantly attributed to the trapping of negative charge carriers in the defect states located at the gate- dielectric/channel interface.     

磁控溅射ZnO薄膜生长的等离子体发射光谱研究

通过反应磁控溅射过程中的等离子体发射光谱，研究了制备ZnO薄膜的沉积温度、氧气流量比例R=O₂/(O₂+Ar)对Zn和O原子发射光谱的影响，并结合ZnO薄膜的结构和物理性能，探讨了沉积温度在ZnO薄膜生长中的作用.研究结果显示：当R≥0.75%时， Zn的溅射产额随R的增加基本呈线性下降规律.当R介于10%—50%时，氧含量的变化相对平缓，有利于ZnO薄膜生长的稳定性控制.Zn原子发射光谱强度随沉积温度的变化可以分为三个阶段.当沉积温度低于250℃时，发射光谱强 关键词： ZnO 薄膜生长 反应磁控溅射 等离子体发射光谱     

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.     

Characterization of ZnO nanowire field-effect transistors and exposed to ultraviolet radiation

A ZnO nanowire (NW) field-effect transistor (FET) is fabricated and characterized, and its characterization of ultraviolet radiation is also investigated. On the one hand, when the radiation time is 5~min, the radiation intensity increases to 5.1~μ W/cm², while the saturation drain current (I_\rm dss) of the nanowire FET decreases sharply from 560 to 320~nA. The field effect mobility (μ ) of the ZnO nanowire FET drops from 50.17 to 23.82~cm²/(V.s) at V_\rm DS=2.5~V, and the channel resistivity of the FET increases by a factor of 2. On the other hand, when the radiation intensity is 2.5~μ W/cm^2 , the DC performance of the FET does not change significantly with irradiation time (its performances at irradiation times of 5 and 20~min are almost the same); in particular, the I_\rm dss of NW FET only reduces by about 50~nA. Research is underway to reveal the intrinsic properties of suspended ZnO nanowires and to explore their device applications.     

A photosensitive copolymer for the gate insulator of organic thin-film transistors

A novel cross-linkable copolymer for the gate insulators of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) was synthesized by free radical copolymerization with methyl methacrylate and ethylene methylacrylate cinnamoylate. Copolymers of molecular weights (Mn: 109200–160000 g mol⁻¹) and polydispersities (1.59–2.24) were characterized by FTIR and NMR. Spin-coated thin films had smooth surfaces with the root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughness of 0.23 nm, 0.41 nm, respectively, before and after UV irradiation. Exposure of the copolymers to UV light produced cross-linking of the polymeric chains that could be confirmed by comparing the FTIR and UV spectra recorded prior and after irradiation. Moreover, the vanadyl-phthalocyanine (VOPc) OTFTs with the photosensitive copolymer as gate insulator were fabricated and found to exhibit a carrier mobility of 0.25 cm²/V s, an on/off ratio of 10⁴.     

Effect of annealing on the properties of N-doped ZnO films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

N-doped ZnO films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering in N₂/Ar gas mixture and were post-annealed at different temperatures (T_a) ranging from 400 to 800 °C in O₂ gas at atmospheric pressure. The as-deposited and post-annealed films were characterized by their structural (XRD), compositional (SIMS, XPS), optical (UV-vis-NIR spectrometry), electrical (Hall measurements), and optoelectronic properties (PL spectra). The XRD results authenticate the improvement of crystallinity following post-annealing. The weak intensity of the (0 0 2) reflection obtained for the as-deposited N-doped ZnO films was increased with the increasing T_a to become the preferred orientation at higher T_a (800 °C). The amount of N-concentration and the chemical states of N element in ZnO films were changed with the T_a, especially above 400 °C. The average visible transmittance (400-800 nm) of the as-deposited films (26%) was increased with the increasing T_a to reach a maximum of 75% at 600 °C but then decreased. In the PL spectra, A⁰X emission at 3.321 eV was observed for T_a = 400 °C besides the main D⁰X emission. The intensity of the A⁰X emission was decreased with the increasing T_a whereas D⁰X emission became sharper and more optical emission centers were observed when T_a is increased above 400 °C.     

Characterization of ZnO thin film synthesized on alumina-rich spinel substrate by magnetron sputtering

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film has been epitaxially grown on (1 1 1) Mg_0.4Al_2.4O₄ substrate by RF-magnetron sputtering. In resonant Raman scattering, higher-order longitudinal optical phonon modes were clearly observed, revealing high optical quality of the ZnO film. Optical absorption indicated a visible exciton absorption at room temperature. The near band edge emission showed a red shift due to the shrinkage of the band gap with increasing the temperature.