Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-ndmmz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-30T11:05:01.601Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Laser Assisted Molecular Beam Deposition of High Mobility Zinc Oxide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Meiya Li
Affiliation:
meiyali@eng.buffalo.edu, SUNY at Buffalo, 1 Holly Lane, #3, Tonawanda, NY, 14150, United States
Nehal Chokshi
Affiliation:
nehalchokshi@ambptech.com
Robert L. DeLeon
Affiliation:
rldeleon@ambptech.com
Gary Tompa
Affiliation:
gstompa@aol.com
Wayne Anderson
Affiliation:
waanders@eng.buffalo.edu
Get access

Abstract

We have utilized laser assisted molecular beam deposition (LAMBD) to deposite zinc oxide (ZnO) at room temperature. The production of ZnO films via LAMBD utilizes an excimer laser induced ablation plume of zinc in combination with pulsed oxygen gases to create a molecular beam of ZnO clusters. The deposited films have been characterized structually and electrically in an as deposited state as well as after post deposition excimer laser annealing. The films undergo a clear structural change from a nanoparticle like film to either a microgranular film or a smooth continuous film depending upon the laser annealing power.

Al ohmic contacts were made to both as-deposited and laser-annealed ZnO thin films. Thickness and refractive index, chemical composition, and surface morphology of the thin films were analyzed by using ellipsometry, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysic (ESCA), and feild emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), respectively. Dark current-voltage (I-V), DC photo I-V, Hall-effect, and photoluminescence measurements were employed for testing the device performance.

In some cases, the ZnO thin film was changed from n-type into p-type after laser annealing, and photoconductive behavior was clearly seen on the laser-annealed samples, with values of 2.8 × 10−4 Ω−1. Also, both samples with and without laser annealing show near-band emission at ∼3.3 eV. Furthermore, the full width at half maximum (FWHW) values of the laser-annealed LAMB ZnO film was reduced from 20.02 nm or 21.68 nm to 18.2 nm when compared with that of non-laser annealed samples. This indicates that the laser annealing provided an improved stochiometric quality and crystallinity to the ZnO thin films.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Yoon, K. H., Choi, J. W., and Lee, D. H., “Characteristics of ZnO thin films deposited onto Al/Si substrates by r. f. magnetron sputtering,” Thin Solid Films, 302, 116 (1997).Google Scholar
2. Oh, M. S., Kim, S. H., and Seong, T. Y., “Growth of nominally undoped p-type ZnO on Si by pulsed-laser deposition,” Appl. Phys. Letts., 87, (2005).Google Scholar
3. Nakamura, K., Shoji, T., Kang, H. B., “ZnO films growth on (0112) LiTaO3 by electron cyclotron resonance-assisted molecular beam epitaxy and determination of its polarity,” Jp. J. Appl. Phys., 6, (2002).Google Scholar
4. Liu, Y., Gorla, C. R., Liang, S., Emanetoglu, N., Lu, Y., Shen, H., and Wraback, M., “Ultraviolet detectors based on epitaxy ZnO films grown by MOCVD, J. Electron. Mat., 29, 69 (2000).Google Scholar
5. Ozgur, U., Alivov, Y. I., Liu, C., Teke, A., Reshchikov, M. A., Dogan, S., Avrutin, V., Cho, S. J., and Morkoc, H., “A comprehensive review of ZnO materials and devices,” J. Appl. Phys., 98, 041301 (2005).Google Scholar
6. Rexer, E. F., Joshi, M. P., DeLeon, R. L., Prasad, P. N., and Garvey, J. F., “A reaction laser ablation source for the production of thin films,” Rev. Sci. Instrum., 69, 3029 (1998).Google Scholar
7. Cho, N. I., Kim, Y. M., Hong, C., Chae, H. B., Kim, C. K., and Lee, B. T., “A study of the effect of UV laser annealing on a-SiC films for structure ordering,” J. Korean Phys. Soc., 37, 998 (2000).Google Scholar