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Title: Enhancement of the ultraviolet photoluminescence of ZnO films: Coatings, annealing, and environmental exposure studies

Abstract

To realize the many potential applications of ZnO films, it is vital to produce films with high optical quality that exhibit strong UV luminescence. By combining annealing at an optimal temperature followed by the deposition of a coating, one can achieve a significant enhancement of photoluminescence (PL). The effectiveness of the coating over time is a crucial point to be considered. Three types of coating materials were investigated: MgO, SiO2, and Al2O3. Due to its strong bond energy, MgO was found to be the most effective coating material for passivation of the surfaces of the ZnO films; SiO2 was the second best. The UV-PL intensity of MgO coated ZnO was found to increase by a factor of 52 relative to an uncoated film. The effectiveness of the coatings exhibited a linear correlation with their bond energies and is discussed in terms of competing mechanisms to surface passivation such as the adsorption of OH-groups; these can act as surface traps and diminish the UV-PL intensity. Annealing at 900 °C prior to the deposition of the coating was found to be an important step in realizing the optimal performance of the coating due to the reduction of Zn interstitials accompanied by improvedmore » crystallinity. Exposure to the environment, up to 294 days, results in the degradation of the UV-PL of the MgO coated film; this effect was not observed for the film coated with SiO2. This effect is discussed in terms of the strong reactivity of MgO with environmental contaminants from the OH-groups.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]
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  1. Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States)
  2. Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1766568
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1647264
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-07ER46386
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
AIP Advances
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 10; Journal Issue: 8; Journal ID: ISSN 2158-3226
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; Ultraviolet light; Passivation; Raman spectroscopy; Chemical bonding; Annealing; Photoluminescence; Thin films; Crystallographic defects; Magnetron sputtering

Citation Formats

Lapp, Jeffrey, Thapa, Dinesh, Huso, Jesse, Canul, Amrah, Norton, M. Grant, McCluskey, Matthew D., and Bergman, Leah. Enhancement of the ultraviolet photoluminescence of ZnO films: Coatings, annealing, and environmental exposure studies. United States: N. p., 2020. Web. doi:10.1063/5.0016510.
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Lapp, Jeffrey, Thapa, Dinesh, Huso, Jesse, Canul, Amrah, Norton, M. Grant, McCluskey, Matthew D., & Bergman, Leah. Enhancement of the ultraviolet photoluminescence of ZnO films: Coatings, annealing, and environmental exposure studies. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0016510
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Lapp, Jeffrey, Thapa, Dinesh, Huso, Jesse, Canul, Amrah, Norton, M. Grant, McCluskey, Matthew D., and Bergman, Leah. Wed . "Enhancement of the ultraviolet photoluminescence of ZnO films: Coatings, annealing, and environmental exposure studies". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0016510. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1766568.
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@article{osti_1766568,
title = {Enhancement of the ultraviolet photoluminescence of ZnO films: Coatings, annealing, and environmental exposure studies},
author = {Lapp, Jeffrey and Thapa, Dinesh and Huso, Jesse and Canul, Amrah and Norton, M. Grant and McCluskey, Matthew D. and Bergman, Leah},
abstractNote = {To realize the many potential applications of ZnO films, it is vital to produce films with high optical quality that exhibit strong UV luminescence. By combining annealing at an optimal temperature followed by the deposition of a coating, one can achieve a significant enhancement of photoluminescence (PL). The effectiveness of the coating over time is a crucial point to be considered. Three types of coating materials were investigated: MgO, SiO2, and Al2O3. Due to its strong bond energy, MgO was found to be the most effective coating material for passivation of the surfaces of the ZnO films; SiO2 was the second best. The UV-PL intensity of MgO coated ZnO was found to increase by a factor of 52 relative to an uncoated film. The effectiveness of the coatings exhibited a linear correlation with their bond energies and is discussed in terms of competing mechanisms to surface passivation such as the adsorption of OH-groups; these can act as surface traps and diminish the UV-PL intensity. Annealing at 900 °C prior to the deposition of the coating was found to be an important step in realizing the optimal performance of the coating due to the reduction of Zn interstitials accompanied by improved crystallinity. Exposure to the environment, up to 294 days, results in the degradation of the UV-PL of the MgO coated film; this effect was not observed for the film coated with SiO2. This effect is discussed in terms of the strong reactivity of MgO with environmental contaminants from the OH-groups.},
doi = {10.1063/5.0016510},
journal = {AIP Advances},
number = 8,
volume = 10,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Aug 12 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Wed Aug 12 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}
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