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Nitrogen partial pressure-dependent Mg concentration, structure, and optical properties of MgxZn1−xO film grown by magnetron sputtering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2011

C.X. Cong ,
B. Yao ,
Y.P. Xie ,
G.Z. Xing ,
B.H. Li ,
X.H. Wang ,
Z.P. Wei ,
Z.Z. Zhang ,
Y.M. Lv  and
D.Z. Shen
...Show all authors
C.X. Cong
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, People’s Republic of China; and Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
B. Yao*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, People’s Republic of China; and Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
Y.P. Xie
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, People’s Republic of China; and Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
G.Z. Xing
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, People’s Republic of China; and Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
B.H. Li
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
X.H. Wang
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
Z.P. Wei
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
Z.Z. Zhang
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
Y.M. Lv
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
D.Z. Shen
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
X.W. Fan
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Excited State Processes, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of China
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: yaobin196226@yahoo.com.cn
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Abstract

MgxZn1−xO films were grown on quartz substrates at 773 K by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering with a mixture of argon and nitrogen as sputtering gases. The nitrogen concentration in the mixture is characterized by the nitrogen partial pressure ratio, which is determined by the ratio of nitrogen flow rate to the flow rates of nitrogen and argon. It was found that Mg concentration, structure, and band gap of the MgxZn1−xO film could be tuned by changing the nitrogen partial pressure ratio of the sputtering gases. The Mg concentration in the MgxZn1−xO film increases with increasing nitrogen partial pressure ratio. The MgxZn1−xO film consists of wurtzite phase at the ratios from 0% to 50%, mixture of wurtzite and cubic phases at the ratios between 50% and 83%, and cubic phase at 100%. The band gap of the MgxZn1−xO film with wurtzite and cubic structure increases as the ratio rises. The variation of the structure and band gap is attributed to change of the Mg concentration, which results from loss of the O and Zn atoms during growth process, the former is induced by reaction between N and O, and the latter by re-evaporation of Zn atoms due to high substrate temperature. The mechanism of the loss of the O and Zn atoms is discussed based on thermodynamics.

Keywords

SemiconductingLuminescenceStructural
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 22 , Issue 10 , October 2007 , pp. 2936 - 2942
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

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