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Investigation of microstructural properties of nitrogen doped ZnO thin films formed by magnetron sputtering on silicon substrate

M. NICOLESCU1, M. ANASTASESCU1, S. PREDA1, J. M. CALDERON-MORENO1, P. OSICEANU1, M. GARTNER1,* , V. S. TEODORESCU2, A. V. MARALOIU2, V. KAMPYLAFKA3, E. APERATHITIS3, M. MODREANU4

Affiliation

  1. Institute of Physical Chemistry, Romanian Academy, Spl. Independentei 202, 060021 Bucharest, Romania
  2. a National Institute of Material Physics, 105 bis Atomistilor Street, 077125 Bucharest – Mǎgurele, Romania
  3. FORTH-IESL, Crete, Greece
  4. Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

Abstract

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a semiconductor with a wurtzite–type structure, useful for a variety of optical, optoelectronic and piezoelectric applications. We report here on the post deposition treatment (Rapid Thermal Annealing at 400 and 550o C) impact on the microstructural properties of N-doped ZnO (ZnO:N) thin films grown on silicon substrate by r.f. magnetron sputtering of ZnN target. The ZnO:N films have been characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning (SEM) and Transmission (TEM) Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) respectively and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. XRD confirms that ZnO:N films are polycrystalline in the as deposited state. SEM, TEM and XRD measurements revealed a polycrystalline film with preferentially oriented columnar crystals. AFM studies reveal a drastic change of ZnO surface morphology upon RTA and the existence of areas with different roughness in the sample thermally treated at 400o C. FTIR, XRD and TEM results shows that disorder associated mainly with grain boundary defects decreases as the annealing temperature increases..

Keywords

N-doped ZnO, Magnetron sputtering, AFM, XRD, SEM & EDX, XPS, TEM & SAED, FTIR.

Submitted at: March 31, 2010
Accepted at: May 26, 2010

Citation

M. NICOLESCU, M. ANASTASESCU, S. PREDA, J. M. CALDERON-MORENO, P. OSICEANU, M. GARTNER, V. S. TEODORESCU, A. V. MARALOIU, V. KAMPYLAFKA, E. APERATHITIS, M. MODREANU, Investigation of microstructural properties of nitrogen doped ZnO thin films formed by magnetron sputtering on silicon substrate, Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Vol. 12, Iss. 5, pp. 1045-1051 (2010)