Postdeposition Thermal Annealing Influence on the Activation of the Cosputtered AlN-ZnO Films

Abstract:

Cosputtered aluminum nitride-zinc oxide (AlN-ZnO) films at a theoretical atomic ratio of 10% [Al / (Al + Zn) at.%] were postannealed at 450°C for 30 min under ambient nitrogen and vacuum, respectively. The activated impurities in these annealed samples were investigated through the room-temperature (RT) and low-temperature (LT) photoluminescence (PL) spectra as well as their temperature-dependent Hall-effect measurements. It was found that the donor-acceptor-pair (DAP) emission related to V_Zn-Al_Zn transition at 2.86 eV predominated over the defect-transition luminescence in the RTPL spectrum of the vacuum-annealed sample, for which possessed a high electron carrier concentration. With the help of the temperature-dependent Hall measurement, the shallow donor level corresponded to Al on Zn site (Al_Zn) was derived as E_C – (51±4) meV. By contrast, the RTPL spectrum of the nitrogen-annealed AlN-ZnO cosputtered film, showing p-type conduction with a hole concentration of 10¹⁸ cm^-3, was dominated by the V_O-N_O deep level emission approximately at 1.87 eV. The estimated acceptor level corresponded to the N on O site (N_O) was E_V + (149±6) meV. The binding energy and activation energy associated with the N_O acceptor were also determined by the LTPL and temperature-dependent PL spectra.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 687)
• Pages: 716-721
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.687.716
• Online since: June 2011
• Authors: Shiau Lu Yao, Jhen Dong Hong, Chung Yen Ho, Ching Ting Lee, Day Shan Liu
• Keywords: Cosputtered AlN-ZnO Film, Hall-Effect Measurement, Photoluminescence (PL), Temperature Dependent, V_O-N_O Deep Level Emission, V_Zn-Al_Zn Transition

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