• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.16 no.7
• /
• pp.445-448
• /
• 2006

Highly c-axis oriented ZnO thin films were grown on Si(100)substrates with Zn buffer layers. Effects of the Zn buffer layer thickness on the structural and optical qualities of ZnO thin films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL) and Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis techniques. It was confirmed that the quality of a ZnO thin film deposited by rf magnetron sputtering was substantially improved by using a Zn buffer layer. The highest ZnO film quality was obtained with a Zn buffer layer 110 nm thick. The surface roughness of the ZnO thin film increases as the Zn buffer layer thickness increases.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.214-217
• /
• 2003

In this study, we prepared ZnO thin film on $SiO_2$/Si substrate by FTS (Facing Targets Sputtering) apparatus which can reduce damage on the thin film because the bombardment of high-energy Particles such as ${\gamma}$-electron can be restrained. And, properties of thin filnl grown with ZnO buffer-layer which can be suppress initial growth layer was investigated. The crystalline and the c-axis preferred orientation of ZnO thin film was also investigated by XRD. As a result, we noticed that the ZnO thin film has a good crystallographic characteristic at thickness of ZnO buffer layer 10, 20 nm and working pressure 1 mTorr.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
• /
• 2016.02a
• /
• pp.266.2-266.2
• /
• 2016

최근 디스플레이 산업의 확대에 따라 투명 전도 산화물(Transparent Conducting Oxides:TCOs)의 수요가 급증하고 있다. 이 중 ZnO는 wide bandgap (3.37eV)와 large exciton binding energy (60meV)의 값을 가져 차세대 투명 전도 산화물, LED와 LD 등의 소자 소재로 각광받고 있다. ZnO는 electron을 내어놓는 native defect 때문에 기본적으로 n-type 물성을 띈다. 그래서 dopant를 이용해 p-type ZnO를 제작할 때 native defect를 줄이는 것이 중요한 요점이 된다. 이 때 buffer layer를 사용하여 native defect를 줄이는 방법이 사용되고 있다. 본연구에서는 RF-magnetron sputtering법을 이용하여 c-plane sapphire 기판 위에 다양한 조건의 ZnO buffer layer를 증착하고, 그 위에 ZnO:(Al,P) co-doping한 APZO를 증착하였다. ZnO buffer layer 증착조건의 변수는 증착온도와 Ar:O2의 비율을 변수로 두었다. 이러한 박막을 FE-SEM, XRD, Hall effect measurement, AFM을 통하여 미세구조와 물성을 관찰하였다. 이 때 APZO보다 낮은 증착온도에서 ZnO buffer layer가 증착되면 APZO를 증착하는 동안 chamber 내부에서 열처리하는 효과를 얻게 되고, UHV(Ultra High Vaccum)에서 열처리 될 때 ZnO buffer layer의 mophology와 결정성이 변하게 되는 모습을 관찰아혔다. 또한 본 실험을 통해 ZnO buffer layer의 증착 온도가 APZO의 증착온도보다 높을 때 제어 가능한 실험이 됨을 확인 할 수 있었다.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.27 no.8
• /
• pp.403-408
• /
• 2017

We investigated the effect of ZnO buffer layer on the formation of ZnO thin film by ultrasonic assisted spray pyrolysis deposition. ZnO buffer layer was formed by wet solution method, which was repeated several times. Structural and optical properties of the ZnO thin films deposited on the ZnO buffer layers with various cycles and at various temperatures were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence spectrum analysis. The structural investigations showed that three-dimensional island shaped ZnO was formed on the bare Si substrate without buffer layers, while two-dimensional ZnO thin film was deposited on the ZnO buffer layers. In addition, structural and optical investigations showed that the crystalline quality of ZnO thin film was improved by introducing the buffer layers. This improvement was attributed to the modulation of the surface energy of the Si surface by the ZnO buffer layer, which finally resulted in a modification of the growth mode from three to two-dimensional.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2003.04a
• /
• pp.140-142
• /
• 2003

ZnO thin films are demanded for device applications, so ZnO buffer layer was used to improve for good properties of ZnO thin film. In this study, the structural, electrical and optical properties of ZnO thin films deposited with various buffer thickness was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Hall measurements, Photoluminescence(PL). ZnO buffer layer and ZnO thin films on sapphire($Al_{2}O_{3}$) substrate have been deposited $200^{\circ}C$ and $400^{\circ}C$ respectively by pulsed laser deposition. It is observed the variety of lattice constant of ZnO thin film by (101) peak position shift with various buffer thickness. It is founded that ZnO thin film with buffer thickness of 20 nm was larger resistivity of 200 factor and UV/visible of 2.5 factor than that of ZnO thin films without buffer layer. ZnO thin films with buffer thickness of 20 nm have shown the most properties.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2001.07a
• /
• pp.224-227
• /
• 2001

ZnO buffer layers were used to grow ZnO films on c-plane sapphire substrates. The role of ZnO buffer layers in the growth of ZnO thin films on sapphire substrates was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Photolumminescence(PL) measurements. At the optimized ZnO buffer layer thickness of 100 $\AA$, FWHM of $\theta$ -rocking curve of ZnO thin films was minimized to 0.73 degrees and room temperature PL spectra showed that deep level emission was not hardly seen. The optimization of the ZnO buffer layer thickness resulted in improvements of the surface morphology and crystalline quality of ZnO thin films.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
• /
• 2002.04b
• /
• pp.65-68
• /
• 2002

The effect of low-temperature ZnO buffer layer has been investigated for the optical properties of ZnO thin films. ZnO buffers and thin films have been deposited using the pulsed laser deposition technique. ZnO buffer layers were grown at $200^{\circ}C$ with various thickness of 0 to 60 nm, followed by raising the substrate temperature to $400^{\circ}C$ to grow $2{\mu}m$ ZnO thin films. The buffer layers could relax stresses induced by the lattice mismatch and different thermal expansion coefficients between ZnO thin films and sapphire substrate. In order to identify the optical properties of ZnO thin films, PL measurement was used. From the results of PL measurement, all the fabricated ZnO thin films with buffer layers have shown intensive UV emission with a narrow linewidth. ZnO thin films with buffer layer of 20 nm have shown the strongest UV emission. It was found that the use of ZnO buffer layer plays an important role to improve the intensive UV emission of the ZnO thin films.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
• /
• v.46 no.6
• /
• pp.673-678
• /
• 2009

The effect of MgO buffer layer on the structural properties of sputter-grown ZnO thin film was investigated. Sapphire (0001) and Si (100) substrate were used for the growth and MgO buffer layer was inserted between ZnO thin film and the substrate. X-ray diffraction pattern indicated that enhanced crystallinity in the ZnO thin film grown was achieved by inserting very thin MgO buffer layer, regardless of the substrate type. The strain in the ZnO thin film could also be controlled by the insertion of the MgO buffer layer, and tendency of the strain was strongly dependent on the substrate type.

• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.50-56
• /
• 2011

In this study, the effects of ZnO buffer layer thickness and annealing temperature on the heterojunction diode, ZnO/b-ZnO/p-Si(111), were reported. The effects of those on the structural and electrical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) films on ZnO buffered p-Si (111) substrate were also studied. Structural properties of ZnO thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction and I-V characteristics were measured by a semiconductor parameter analyzer. ZnO thin films with 70 nm thick buffer layer and annealing temperature of $700^{\circ}C$ showed the best c-axis preferred orientation. The best electrical property was found at the condition of buffer layer annealing temperature of $700^{\circ}C$ and 50nm thick ZnO buffer layer (resistivity: $2.58{\times}10^{-4}[{\Omega}-cm]$, carrier concentration: $1.16{\times}1020[cm^{-3}]$). The I-V characteristics for ZnO/b-ZnO/p-Si(111) heterojunction diode were improved with increasing buffer layer thickness at buffer layer annealing temperature of $700^{\circ}C$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.34-38
• /
• 2011

In this study, the effects of an annealed buffer layer with different thickness on heterojunction diodes based on the ZnO/ZnO/p-Si(111) systems were reported. The effects of an annealed buffer layer with different thickness on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) films on p-Si(111) were also studied. Before zinc oxide (ZnO) deposition, different thicknesses of ZnO buffer layer, 10 nm, 30 nm, 50 nm and 70 nm, were grown on p-Si(111) substrates using a radio-frequency sputtering system; samples were subsequently annealed at $700^{\circ}C$ for 10 minutes in $N_2$ in a horizontal thermal furnace. Zinc oxide (ZnO) films with a width of 280nm were also deposited using a radio-frequency sputtering system on the annealed ZnO/p-Si (111) substrates at room temperature; samples were subsequently annealed at $700^{\circ}C$ for 30 minutes in $N_2$. In this experiment, the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films were studied by XRD (X-ray diffraction), and room temperature PL (photoluminescence) measurements, respectively. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics were measured with a semiconductor parameter analyzer. The thermal tensile stress was found to decrease with increasing buffer layer thickness. Among the ZnO/ZnO/p-Si(111) diodes fabricated in this study, the sample that was formed with the condition of a 50 nm thick ZnO buffer layer showed a strong c-axis preferred orientation and I-V characteristics suitable for a heterojunction diode.