Rapid thermal annealing properties of ZnO films grown using methanol as oxidant

ZnO thin films were grown by metal-organic chemical vapour deposition using methanol as oxidant. Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) was performed in an ambient of one atmosphere oxygen at 900 degrees C for 60 s. The RTA properties of the films have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra and Hall measurement. The grains of the film were well coalesced and the surface became denser after RTA. The full-width at half maximum of rocking curves was only 496 arcsec. The ZnO films were also proved to have good optical quality. The Hall mobility increased to 43.2 cm(2) V-1 s(-1) while the electron concentration decreased to 6.6 x 10(16) cm(-3). It is found that methanol is a potential oxidant for ZnO growth and the quality of ZnO film can be improved substantially through RTA.

Investigation of oxygen vacancy and interstitial oxygen defects in ZnO films by photoluminescence and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

ZnO films prepared at different temperatures and annealed at 900 degrees C in oxygen are studied by photoluminescence (PL) and x-ray photoelection spectroscopy (XPS). It is observed that in the PL of the as-grown films the green luminescence (GL) and the yellow luminescence (YL) are related, and after annealing the GL is restrained and the YL is enhanced. The O 1s XPS results also show the coexistence of oxygen vacancy (Vo) and interstitial oxygen (O-i) before annealing and the quenching of the V-o after annealing. By combining the two results it is deduced that the GL and YL are related to the V-o and O-i defects, respectively.

Influence of nitridation time on the morphology of GaN nanorods synthesized by nitriding Ga2O3/ZnO films

Gallium nitride (GaN) nanorods were synthesized by nitriding Ga2O3/ZnO films which were deposited in turn on Si (111) substrates using radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering system. In the nitridation process, ZnO was reduced to Zn and Zn sublimated at 950 degrees C. Ga2O3 was reduced to Ga2O and Ga2O reacted with NH3 to synthesize GaN nanorods with the assistance of the sublimation of Zn. The morphology and structure of the nanorods were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and selected-area electron diffraction (SAED). The composition of GaN nanorods was studied by Fourier-transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR). The synthesized nanorods is hexagonal wurtzite structured. Nitridation time of the samples has an evident influence on the morphology of GaN nanorods synthesized by this method. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

As-doped p-type ZnO films by sputtering and thermal diffusion process

As-doped p-type ZnO films were grown on GaAs by sputtering and thermal diffusion process. Hall effect measurements showed that the as-grown films were of n-type conductivity and they were converted to p-type behavior after thermal annealing. Moreover, the hole concentration of As-doped p-type ZnO was very impressible to the oxygen ambient applied during the annealing process. In addition, the bonding state of As in the films was investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This study not only demonstrated an effective method for reliable and reproducible p-type ZnO fabrication but also helped to understand the doping mechanism of As-doped ZnO. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

P-doped p-type ZnO films deposited on Si substrate by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

P-doped ZnO films were deposited on n-Si substrate by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Hall measurements revealed that the films annealed in situ at 750 degrees C in an oxygen ambient at a pressure of 1.3x10(-3)-3.9x10(-3) Pa showed p-type behavior with a hole concentration of 2.7x10(16)-2.2x10(17) cm(-3), a mobility of 4-13 cm(2)/V s, and a resistivity of 10.4-19.3 Omega cm. Films annealed at 750 degrees C in a vacuum or in oxygen ambient at higher pressures (5.2x10(-3) and 6.5x10(-3) Pa) showed n-type behavior. Additionally, the p-ZnO/n-Si heterojunction showed a diodelike I-V characteristic. Our results indicate that P-doped p-type ZnO films can be obtained by annealing in oxygen ambient at very low pressures. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Comparison of valence band x-ray photoelectron spectrum between Al-N-codoped and N-doped ZnO films

The valence band structures of Al-N-codoped [ZnO:(Al, N)] and N-doped (ZnO:N) ZnO films were studied by normal and soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The valence-band maximum of ZnO:(Al, N) shifts up to Fermi energy level by about 300 meV compared with that of ZnO:N. Such a shift can be attributed to the existence of a kind of Al-N in ZnO:(Al, N), as supported by core level XPS spectra and comparison of modified Auger parameters. Al-N increased the relative quantity of Zn-N in ZnO:(Al, N), while N-N decreased that of Zn-N in ZnO:N. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Structural and optical properties of ZnO films on Si substrates using a gamma-Al2O3 buffer layer

High quality ZnO films have been successfully grown on a Si (100) substrate by metal organic chemical vapour deposition with a gamma-Al2O3 buffer. The crystal structure, surface morphology and optical properties of the ZnO films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The propel-ties of the films with the Al2O3 buffer were improved in comparison with those of as-grown ZnO films. It is shown that the ZnO films with the gamma-Al2O3 buffer grown on Si (100) substrates have a highly-preferential c-axis (0002) orientation, a narrow (0002) peak, smooth surface morphology and better PL spectral properties. This demonstrates that the use of gamma-Al2O3/Si as a ZnO substrate is beneficial for reducing the residual stress for further growth of ZnO films, compared with the growth on bulk Si substrates.

Dependence of intrinsic defects in ZnO films on oxygen fraction studied by positron annihilation

Defects in ZnO films grown by radio-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering under variable ratios between oxygen and argon gas have been investigated by using the monoenergetic positron beam technique. The dominate intrinsic defects in these ZnO samples are O vacancies (V-O) and Zn interstitials (Zn-i) when the oxygen fraction in the O-2/Ar feed gas does not exceed 70% in the processing chamber. On the other hand, zinc vacancies are preponderant in the ZnO Elms fabricated in richer oxygen environment. The concentration of zinc vacancies increases with the increasing (2) fraction. For the oxygen fraction 85%, the number of zinc vacancies that could trap positrons will be smaller. It is speculated that some unknown defects could shield zinc vacancies. The concentration of zinc vacancies in the ZnO films varies with the oxygen fraction in the growth chamber, which is in agreement with the results of photoluminescence spectra.

Optical and structural properties of ZnO films grown on Si(100) substrates by MOCVD - art. no. 60290G

High quality ZnO films have been successfully grown on Si(100) substrates by Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technique. The optimization of growth conditions (II-VI ratio, growth temperature, etc) and the effects of film thickness and thermal treatment on ZnO films' crystal quality, surface morphology and optical properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, respectively. The XRD patterns of the films grown at the optimized temperature (300 degrees C) show only a sharp peak at about 34.4 degrees corresponding to the (0002) peak of hexagonal ZnO, and the FWHM was lower than 0.4 degrees. We find that under the optimized growth conditions, the increase of the ZnO films' thickness cannot improve their structural and optical properties. We suggest that if the film's thickness exceeds an optimum value, the crystal quality will be degraded due to the large differences of lattice constant and thermal expansion coefficient between Si and ZnO. In PL analysis, samples all displayed only ultraviolet emission peaks and no observable deep-level emission, which indicated high-quality ZnO films obtained. Thermal treatments were performed in oxygen and nitrogen atmosphere, respectively. Through the analysis of PL spectra, we found that ZnO films annealing in oxygen have the strongest intensity and the low FWHM of 10.44 nm(106 meV) which is smaller than other reported values on ZnO films grown by MOCVD.

Hetero-epitaxial growth of ZnO films on silicon by low-pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition

Quality ZnO films were successfully grown on Si(100) substrate by low-pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition method in temperature range of 300-500 degrees C using DEZn and N2O as precursor and oxygen source respectively. The crystal structure, optical properties and surface morphology of ZnO films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, optical refection and atomic force microscopy technologies. It was demonstrated that the crystalline structure and surface morphology of ZnO films strongly depend on the growth temperature.

Effects of Hydrogen Plasma Treatment on the Electrical and Optical Properties of ZnO Films: Identification of Hydrogen Donors in ZnO

Wurtzite ZnO has many potential applications in optoelectronic devices, and the hydrogenated ZnO exhibits excellent photoelectronic properties compared to undoped ZnO; however, the structure of H-related defects is still unclear. In this article, the effects of hydrogen-plasma treatment and subsequent annealing on the electrical and optical properties of ZnO films were investigated by a combination of Hall measurement, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence. It is found that two types of hydrogen-related defects, namely, the interstitial hydrogen located at the bond-centered (H-BC) and the hydrogen trapped at a O vacancy (H-O), are responsible for the n-type background conductivity of ZnO films. Besides introducing two hydrogen-related donor states, the incorporated hydrogen passivates defects at grain boundaries. With increasing annealing temperatures, the unstable H-BC atoms gradually diffuse out of the ZnO films and part of them are converted into H-O, which gives rise to two anomalous Raman peaks at 275 and 510 cm(-1). These results help to clarify the relationship between the hydrogen-related defects in ZnO described in various studies and the free carriers that are produced by the introduction of hydrogen.

Low-Temperature Growth of ZnO Films on GaAs by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

ZnO thin films were grown on GaAs （001） substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition （MOCVD） at low temperatures ranging from 100 to 400℃. DEZn and 1-12 O were used as the zinc precursor and oxygen precursor, respectively. The effects of the growth temperatures on the growth characteristics and optical properties of ZnO films were investigated. The X-ray diffraction measurement （XRD） results indicated that all the thin films were grown with highly c- axis orientation. The surface morphologies and crystal properties of the films were critically dependent on the growth temperatures. Although there was no evidence of epitaxial growth, the scanning electron microscopy （SEM） image of ZnO film grown at 400℃ revealed the presence of ZnO microcrystallines with closed packed hexagon structure. The photoluminescence spectrum at room temperature showed only bright band-edge （3. 33eV） emissions with little or no deep-level e- mission related to defects.

Low -temperature preparation of ZnO films on Si substrates by MOCVD

ZnO films were deposited on Si（100） substrates at 300℃ by metal - organic chemical vapor deposition（MOCVD）. The effect of different ratios of DEZn to N2O on crystal quality was analyzed. It is found that the optimum ratio of DEZn to N2O is 2.1. And in this optimum growth condition, X - ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning probe morphology （SPM） images indicate that the films grow along the c - axis orientation. ZnO film exhibits a strong UV optical absorption near 388 nm. And the optical absorbance is close to zero,that indicates nearly 100% optical transparence. Photoluminescence （PL） spectrum shows only strong near - band - edge emissions with little or no deep - level emission related to defects. The full - width at half - maximum （FWHM） of the ultraviolet emission peak is 80meV. The results indicate that better crystal quality can be obtained.

Effects of Thickness on Properties of ZnO Films Grown on Si by MOCVD

High quality ZnO films are successfully grown on Si（100） substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition at 300℃. The effects of the thickness of the ZnO films on crystal structure, surface morphology,and optical properties are investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning probe microscopy,and photoluminescence spectra, respectively. It is shown that the ZnO films grown on Si substrates have a highly-preferential C-axis orientation,but it is difficult to obtain the better structural and optical properties of the ZnO films with the increasing of thickness. It is maybe due to that the grain size and the growth model are changed in the growth process.

Modification of ZnO films under high energy Xe-ion irradiations

ZnO films were deposited on (100) Si substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. These films were irradiated at room temperature with 308 MeV Xe-ions to a fluence of 1.0 x 10(12), 1.0 x 10(13) or 1.0 x 10(14) Xe/cm(2). Then the samples were investigated using RBS, XRD, FESEM and PL analyses. The obtained experimental results showed that the deposited ZnO films were highly c-axis orientated and of high purity, 308 MeV Xe-ion irradiations could not change the c-axis oriented. The topography and PL properties of the ZnO films varied with increasing the Xe-ion irradiation fluence. For 1.0 x 10(13) or 1.0 x 10(14) Xe/cm(2) irradiated samples, surface cracks were observed. Furthermore, it was found that the 1.0 x 10(14) Xe/cm(2) irradiated sample exhibiting the strongest PL ability. The modification of structure and PL properties induced by 308 MeV Xe-ion irradiations were briefly discussed. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.