Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T04:45:51.652Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Improved conductivity of ZnO thin films by exposure to an atmospheric hydrogen plasma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2012

A. Illiberi*
Affiliation:
Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), PO Box 6235, 5600 HE Eindhoven, The Netherlands
B. Kniknie
Affiliation:
Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), PO Box 6235, 5600 HE Eindhoven, The Netherlands
J. van Deelen
Affiliation:
Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), PO Box 6235, 5600 HE Eindhoven, The Netherlands
H.L.A.H. Steijvers
Affiliation:
Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), PO Box 6235, 5600 HE Eindhoven, The Netherlands
D. Habets
Affiliation:
Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), PO Box 6235, 5600 HE Eindhoven, The Netherlands
P.J.P.M. Simons
Affiliation:
Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), PO Box 6235, 5600 HE Eindhoven, The Netherlands
A.C. Janssen
Affiliation:
Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), PO Box 6235, 5600 HE Eindhoven, The Netherlands
E.H.A. Beckers
Affiliation:
Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), PO Box 6235, 5600 HE Eindhoven, The Netherlands
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (ZnOx:Al) films have been deposited on a moving glass substrate by a high throughput metalorganic chemical vapor deposition process at atmospheric pressure. Thin (< 250 nm) ZnOx:Al films have a poor crystalline quality, due to a small grain size and the presence of different crystallographic orientations. The crystalline quality improves with increasing film thickness (from 50 nm to 1000 nm), resulting in a lower value of resistivity (from 100 Ohm cm to 1·10-3 Ohm cm, respectively). We have investigated the variation in the films’ conductivity and transparency induced by a post-deposition exposure to a He/H2 atmospheric plasma. The resistivity of thin (< 250 nm) films is found to decreased sharply from 100 Ohm cm to about 4·10-3 Ohm cm by a short (∼ seconds) plasma exposure, while the resistivity of thicker films remains unaffected.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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] Granqvist, C.G. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 91, 1529 (2007)Google Scholar
[2] Ellmer, K., Klein, A., Rech, B., Transparent Conductive Zinc Oxide: Basics and Applications in Thin Film Solar Cells, Spring Series in Materials Science 104 (2008)Google Scholar
[3] Hu, J. and Gordon, R.G., Journal of Applied Physics, 71, 880 (1992)Google Scholar
[4] Volintiru, I., Creatore, M., Kniknie, B.J., Spee, C.I.M.A. and van de Sanden, M.C.M., Journal of Applied Physics, 102, 043709 (2007)Google Scholar
[5] Sittinger, V., Ruske, F., Werner, W., Szyszka, B., Rech, B., Hupkes, J., Schope, G., Stiebig, H., Thin Solid Films, 496, 16 (2006)Google Scholar
[6] Major, S., Banerjee, A. and Chopra, K.L., Thin Solid Films, 108, 333 (1983)Google Scholar
[7] Illiberi, A., Roozeboom, F., Poodt, P., ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 4, 268 (2012)Google Scholar
[8] Illiberi, A., Kniknie, B., van Deelen, J., H Steijvers, H. L. A., Habets, D., Simons, P. J. P. M., Janssen, A. C., Beckers, E. H. A., Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells 95, 1955, (2011)Google Scholar
[9] Illiberi, A., Simons, P.J.P.M., Kniknie, B., van Deelen, J., Theelen, M., Zeman, M., Tijssen, M., Zijlmans, W., Steijvers, H.L.A.H., Habets, D., Janssen, A.C., Beckers, E.H.A., Journal of Crystal Growth 347, 56 (2012)Google Scholar
[10] Illiberi, A., Kniknie, B., Steijvers, H. L. A. H, Habets, D., Simons, P. J. P. M., Janssen, A. C., Beckers, E. H. A., van Deelen, J. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings 1323, 75 (2011)Google Scholar
[11] Ponomarev, M., Sharma, K., Creatore, M., van de Sanden, M.C.M. Journal of Applied Physics (2012), accepted for publication Google Scholar
[12] Liu, P., She, G., Liao, Z., Wang, Y., Wang, Z., Shi, W., Zhang, X., Lee, S., Chen, D., Applied Physics Letters 94, 063120 (2009)Google Scholar
[13] van de Walle, C.G., Physical Review Letters 85, 1012 (2000)Google Scholar
[14] Ohashi, N., Ishigaki, T., Okada, N., Taguchi, H., Sakaguchi, I., Hishita, S., Sekiguchi, T., Haneda, H., Journal of Applied Physics 93, 6386 (2003)Google Scholar
[15] Ozawa, K., Mase, K., Physical Review B 81, 205322–1 (2010)Google Scholar