Aluminum-nitride codoped zinc oxide films prepared using a radio-frequency magnetron cosputtering system

Journal Article · Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2768010· OSTI ID:21057473

Liu, D -S; Sheu, C -S; Lee, C -T ^[1]

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1. Institute of Electro-Optical and Materials Science, National Formosa University, Huwei, Taiwan 63201 (China)

Al-N codoped zinc oxide films were prepared using a radio-frequency magnetron cosputtering system at room temperature. AlN and ZnO materials were employed as the cosputtered targets. The as-deposited cosputtered films at various theoretical atomic ratios [Al/(Al+Zn) at. %] showed n-type conductive behavior in spite of the N atoms exceeding that of the Al dopants, indicating that the N-related acceptors were still inactive. The crystalline structure was obviously correlated with the cosputtered AlN contents and eventually evolved into an amorphous structure for the Al-N codoped ZnO film at a theoretical Al doping level reaching 60%. With an adequate postannealing treatment, the N-related acceptors were effectively activated and the p-type ZnO conductive behavior achieved. The appearance of the Zn{sub 3}N{sub 2} phase in the x-ray diffraction pattern of the annealed Al-N codoped ZnO film provided evidence of the nitrification of zinc ions. The redshift of the shallow level transition and the apparent suppression of the oxygen-related deep level emission investigated from the photoluminescence spectrum measured at room temperature were concluded to be influenced by the activated N-related acceptors. In addition, the activation of the N acceptors denoted as N-Zn bond and the chemical bond related to the Zn{sub 3}N{sub 2} crystalline structure were also observed from the associated x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra.

• OSTI ID: 21057473
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 102, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2768010; (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM NITRIDES
ANNEALING
CHEMICAL BONDS
DOPED MATERIALS
MAGNETRONS
NITRIFICATION
OXYGEN
PHOTOLUMINESCENCE
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
RED SHIFT
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SPUTTERING
SURFACE COATING
TEMPERATURE RANGE 0273-0400 K
THIN FILMS
X-RAY DIFFRACTION
X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
ZINC IONS
ZINC OXIDES