Effects of nitrogen on crystal growth of sputter-deposited ZnO films for transparent conducting oxide

Iping Suhariadi, Kouichiro Oshikawa, Kazunari Kuwahara, Kouichi Matsushima, Daisuke Yamashita, Giichiro Uchida, Kazunari Koga, Masaharu Shiratani, Naho Itagaki

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We have studied the effects of the N2 gas flow rate on the surface morphology of ZnO films deposited by the sputtering of a ZnO target using Ar/ N2. Height-height correlation function (HHCF) analysis indicates that introducing a small amount of N2 (<5 sccm) to the sputtering atmosphere enhances adatom migration, leading to a larger grain size in the ZnO films associated with an increase in the lateral correlation length. The HHCF analysis also reveals that films deposited with and without N 2 exhibit a self-affine fractal surface structure. We demonstrate that utilizing such ZnO films deposited using Ar/N2 as buffer layers, the crystallinity of ZnO:Al (AZO) films on the buffer layers can be greatly improved. The electrical resistivity of 100-nm-thick AZO films decreases from 1.8 × 10-3 to 4:0 × 10-4 Ω·cm by utilizing a ZnO buffer layers prepared at N2 flow rate of 5 sccm.

Original languageEnglish
Article number11NB03
JournalJapanese journal of applied physics
Volume52
Issue number11 PART 2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2013

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Engineering(all)
  • Physics and Astronomy(all)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Effects of nitrogen on crystal growth of sputter-deposited ZnO films for transparent conducting oxide'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this