Structural transition, subgap states, and carrier transport in anion-engineered zinc oxynitride nanocrystalline films
- School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044 (China)
- Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics and Engineering, The Australian National University, Canberra 2601 (Australia)
- School of Electronics Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)
In this work, anion alloying is engineered in ZnON nanocrystalline films, and the resultant evolution of the structural transition, subgap states, and carrier transport is investigated. A broad distribution of sub-gap states above the valence band maximum is introduced by nitrogen due to the hybridization of N 2p and O 2p orbitals. The phase transition from partially amorphous states to full crystallinity occurs above a characteristic growth temperature of 100 °C, and the localized states are suppressed greatly due to the reduction of nitrogen composition. The electronic properties are dominated by grain boundary scattering and electron transport across boundary barriers through thermal activation at band edge states at high temperatures. The conductivity below 130 K exhibits a weak temperature dependence, which is a signature of variable-range hopping conduction between localized states introduced by nitrogen incorporation.
- OSTI ID:
- 22590571
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 109, Issue 2; Other Information: (c) 2016 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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