Transparent and Conducting Boron Doped ZnO Thin Films Grown By Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition

ZnO based transparent conducting oxides are important as they provide an alternative to the more expensive Sn:In2O3 that currently dominates the industry. Here, we investigate B-doped ZnO thin films grown via aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition. B:ZnO films were produced from zinc acetate and triethylborane using either tetrahydrofuran or methanol (MeOH) as the solvent. The lowest resistivity of 5.1 x 10-3 .cm along with a visible light transmittance of ~75 - 80% was achieved when using MeOH as the solvent. XRD analysis only detected the wurtzite phase of ZnO suggesting successful solid solution formation with B3+ substituting Zn2+ sites in the lattice. Refinement of the XRD patterns showed minimal distortion to the ZnO unit cell upon doping when MeOH was the solvent due to the immiscibility of the [BEt3] solution (1.0M solution in hexane) in methanol that limited the amount of B going into the films, thus preventing excessive doping

Transparent and conducting boron doped ZnO thin films grown by aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition.

ZnO based transparent conducting oxides are important as they provide an alternative to the more expensive Sn : In O that currently dominates the industry. Here, we investigate B-doped ZnO thin films grown aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition. B : ZnO films were produced from zinc acetate and triethylborane using either tetrahydrofuran or methanol (MeOH) as the solvent. The lowest resistivity of 5.1 × 10 Ω cm along with a visible light transmittance of ∼75-80% was achieved when using MeOH as the solvent. XRD analysis only detected the wurtzite phase of ZnO suggesting successful solid solution formation with B substituting Zn sites in the lattice. Refinement of the XRD patterns showed minimal distortion to the ZnO unit cell upon doping when MeOH was the solvent due to the immiscibility of the [BEt ] solution (1.0 M solution in hexane) in methanol that limited the amount of B going into the films, thus preventing excessive doping. [Abstract copyright: This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.

An Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Route to Tin-Doped Gallium Oxide Thin Films with Optoelectronic Properties

Gallium oxide is a wide-bandgap compound semiconductor material renowned for its diverse applications spanning gas sensors, liquid crystal displays, transparent electrodes, and ultraviolet detectors. This paper details the aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition synthesis of tin doped gallium oxide thin films using gallium acetylacetonate and monobutyltin trichloride dissolved in methanol. It was observed that Sn doping resulted in a reduction in the transmittance of Ga2O3 films within the visible spectrum, while preserving the wide bandgap characteristics of 4.8 eV. Furthermore, Hall effect testing revealed a substantial decrease in the resistivity of Sn-doped Ga2O3 films, reducing it from 4.2 × 106 Ω cm to 2 × 105 Ω cm for the 2.5 at. % Sn:Ga2O3 compared to the nominally undoped Ga2O3

Single-Source Precursors for the Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapour Deposition of Gallium Arsenide

This thesis describes the synthesis of single-source gallium arsenide (GaAs) precursors and the deposition of films on glass substrates using aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD). A range of precursors were synthesised including silyl arsine containing compounds such as [Me2GaAs(SiMe2Cy)2]2, [EtGaAs(SiMe2Cy)2]2, [Me2GaAs(SiPh3)2]2, and [Me2GaAs(SiMePh2)2]2. Novel dimeric precursors, [Me2GaAs(H)tBu]2 and [Et2GaAs(H)tBu]2, containing tertiary butyl groups have also been synthesised from tertiarybutyl arsine and trimethyl and triethylgallium. Compounds were analysed using 1H and 13C NMR, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. The decomposition of [Me2GaAs(H)tBu]2 and [Et2GaAs(H)tBu]2 was studied using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Thin films of gallium arsenide were deposited on amorphous substrates using both an in situ approach with As(NMe2)3 and tBuAsH2 as the arsenic sources and GaMe3 as the gallium source as well as with the single-source precursors [Me2GaAs(H)tBu]2 and [Et2GaAs(H)tBu]2. All films were characterised using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Some of the films were further characterised using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) to determine crystallinity

Antibacterial properties of Cu-ZrO2 thin films prepared via aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition

© 2015 The Royal Society of Chemistry. The antibacterial properties of a Cu-ZrO2 film grown via aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition are presented. The composite film showed high activity against E. coli (Gram-negative) and S. aureus (Gram-positive) bacteria with 5 log10 (E. coli) and 4 log10 (S. aureus) decrease in viable bacteria achieved within 20 and 60 minutes respectively. These results were comparable to a pure copper film that was prepared under the same conditions. The composite film was characterized for material properties using a range of techniques including X-ray photoemission and X-ray diffraction

Transparent conductive aluminium and fluorine co-doped zinc oxide films via aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition

Aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) was employed to synthesise highly transparent and conductive ZnO, fluorine or aluminium doped and aluminium–fluorine co-doped ZnO thin films on glass substrates at 450 °C. All films were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV/Vis/Near IR spectroscopy. The films were 300–350 nm thick, crystalline and displayed high transparency at 550 nm (80–90%). The co-doped film consisted of 1 at.% fluorine and 2 at.% aluminium, exhibiting a charge carrier concentration and a charge carrier mobility of 3.47 × 1020 cm−3 and 9.7 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively. The band gap of the co-doped film was found to be 3.7 eV and the plasma edge crossover was ca. 1800 nm. This film had a highly structured morphology in comparison to the un-doped and single doped ZnO films for transparent conducting oxide applications

n-Type conducting P doped ZnO thin films via chemical vapor deposition

Extrinsically doped ZnO thin films are of interest due to their high electrical conductivity and transparency to visible light. In this study, P doped ZnO thin films were grown on glass substrates via aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition. The results show that P is a successful dopant for ZnO in the V+ oxidation state and is able to reduce resistivity to 6.0 × 10−3 Ω cm while maintaining visible light transmittance at ∼75%. The thins films were characterized by X-ray diffraction studies that showed only Bragg peaks for the wurtzite ZnO phase. Fitting of the diffraction data to a Le Bail model also showed a general expansion of the ZnO unit cell upon doping due to the substitution of Zn2+ ions with the larger P5+

Transparent and Conductive Molybdenum-Doped ZnO Thin Films via Chemical Vapor Deposition

Extrinsically doped ZnO is widely used as a transparent conducting electrode and has the potential to alleviate the demand on the expensive but ubiquitous Sn-doped In2O3. Here, we report for the first time the synthesis and characterization of molybdenum-doped ZnO via a chemical vapor deposition route. Films were grown by using diethylzinc, molybdenum hexacarbonyl, toluene, and methanol. All films had visible light transmittance of ∼80% and electrical resistivity of 10–3 Ω·cm with the lowest resistivity of 2.6 × 10–3 Ω·cm observed for the 0.57 at. % Mo-doped film. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the surface species and X-ray diffraction based calculations of the ZnO unit cell parameters suggest that Mo is present in the 4+ oxidation state, thus contributing two electrons for electrical conduction for every Zn2+ ion replaced in the lattice

Highly conductive and transparent gallium doped zinc oxide thin films via chemical vapor deposition

Degenerately doped ZnO is seen as a potential substitute to the ubiquitous and expensive Sn doped In2O3 as a transparent electrode in optoelectronic devices. Here, highly conductive and transparent Ga doped ZnO thin films were grown via aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition. The lowest resistivity (7.8 × 10-4 Ω.cm) and highest carrier concentration (4.23 × 1020 cm-3) ever reported for AACVD grown ZnO: Ga was achieved due to using oxygen poor growth conditions enabled by diethylzinc and triethylgallium precursors

Effect of synthesis conditions on room-temperature ferromagnetic properties of Mg-O nanoparticles

Cubic, terraced, and spherical Mg-MgO nanoparticles (NPs), ranging in average particle size from 30 up to 80 nm, were prepared through vaporization and condensation of Mg metal in mix gas flow (argon + air) at conditions of the levitation-jet aerosol synthesis. These NPs were collected in three zones, located at different distances from an evaporator. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET measurements, UV–Vis, FT-IR, Raman, XPS, and vibrating-sample magnetometry (VSM) were used for characterized of NPs. The results indicated an essential effect of synthesis conditions on the nanoparticle properties. Room temperature ferromagnetism with the maximum magnetization of up to 0.65 emu/g was found in the nanoparticles. The maximum specific magnetization of the NPs depends on the value of specific surface area multiplied by oxide content in the form of two-peaks function. It was discovered a clear increase in the maximum magnetization of NPs, collected in the different zones, with an increase in the distance of these zones from the evaporator. It was suggested that the observed ferromagnetic ordering may be related to the Mg-deficient defects on the surface of NPs. This suggestion was in agreement with the results of optical experiments, particularly, with an increase in the Raman peak intensities. In addition, XPS studies reveal an oscillating quenching dependence of the maximum magnetization on Mg 2p peak width value. It was also supposed that various values of the maximum magnetization origin from the different fabrication conditions promoting defects propagation on the surface of NPs