Structural and physical properties of transparent conducting, amorphous Zn-doped SnO{sub 2} films

Journal Article · Tue Jan 21 00:00:00 EST 2014 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4861378· OSTI ID:22275698

Zhu, Q.; Buchholz, D. B.; Chang, R. P. H.; Bedzyk, M. J.; Mason, T. O. ^[1]

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1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (United States)

The structural and physical properties of conducting amorphous Zn-doped SnO{sub 2} (a-ZTO) films, prepared by pulsed laser deposition, were investigated as functions of oxygen deposition pressure (pO{sub 2}), composition, and thermal annealing. X-ray scattering and X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements reveal that at higher pO{sub 2}, the a-ZTO films are highly transparent and have a structural framework similar to that found in crystalline (c-), rutile SnO{sub 2} in which the Sn{sup 4+} ion is octahedrally coordinated by 6 O{sup 2−} ions. The Sn{sup 4+} ion in these films however has a coordination number (CN) smaller by 2%–3% than that in c-SnO{sub 2}, indicating the presence of oxygen vacancies, which are the likely source of charge carriers. At lower pO{sub 2}, the a-ZTO films show a brownish tint and contain some 4-fold coordinated Sn{sup 2+} ions. Under no circumstances is the CN around the Zn{sup 2+} ion larger than 4, and the Zn-O bond is shorter than the Sn-O bond by 0.07 Å. The addition of Zn has no impact on the electroneutrality but improves significantly the thermal stability of the films. Structural changes due to pO{sub 2}, composition, and thermal annealing account well for the changes in the physical properties of a-ZTO films.

• OSTI ID: 22275698
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 115, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
ANNEALING
CHARGE CARRIERS
COORDINATION NUMBER
DOPED MATERIALS
ENERGY BEAM DEPOSITION
LASER RADIATION
OXYGEN
PHASE STABILITY
PULSED IRRADIATION
THIN FILMS
TIN IONS
TIN OXIDES
VACANCIES
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY
ZINC IONS