ZnN is a relatively new material, and even though its physical properties are not well studied and there is a controversy concerning its optical band gap, it has been used for the fabrication of p-type ZnO:N films through oxidation at temperatures ≥400^oC. Until now, ZnN thin films had been fabricated by rf-MBE, MOCVD, sputtering or ammonization of Zn and electrochemically. In a recent investigation we had fabricated zinc nitride thin films by rf-sputtering of a commercially available zinc nitride target in a mixture of Ar-N₂ plasma and examined the properties of the films [2,3]. These n-type zinc nitride films had been converted into p-type ZnO:N films by oxidation at 400^oC [1,2].

In this investigation, we report on the properties of zinc nitride films fabricated from zinc nitride target by rf-sputtering in plasma containing a mixture of Ar-O₂ gases on unintentionally heated glass and Si substrates. The structural (X-ray diffraction, AFM), optical (UV-NIR trans. & refl. as well as PL emissions at 18K using a 325nm He–Cd laser) and electrical (Hall effect, Van der Pauw technique, Seebeck effect-thermoelectric power) properties of the films were examined as a function of the oxygen content in the plasma, just after deposition as well as after annealing in flowing nitrogen.

Films deposited in plasma containing 10-40% O₂ were p-type materials with resistivity 10⁵ Ωcm. XRD analysis revealed that the films had the ZnO structure. The resistivity of these p-type ZnO:N films was decreased to around 10³ Ωcm upon annealing in flowing N2.

The possibility of fabricating a p/n junction from the zinc nitride target, in one deposition run without breaking the sputtering vacuum, which is actually a transparent p/n ZnO/ZnN heterostructure, will be addressed. 

[1] V. Kambilafka, et al, Superlattices and Microstructures 42 (2007) 55.

[2] V. Kambilafka, et al, Thin Solid Films 515 (2007) 273.

[3] P. Voulgaropoulou, et al, Thin Solid Films (2008) : doi: 10.1016/j.tsf.2008.04.025

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