The semiconductor ZnO has gained substantial interest in the research community in part because of its large exciton binding energy (60meV) which could lead to lasing action based on exciton recombination even above room temperature. Even though research focusing on ZnO goes back many decades, the renewed interest is fueled by availability of high-quality substrates and reports of p-type conduction and ferromagnetic behavior when doped with transitions metals, both of which remain controversial. It is this renewed interest in ZnO which forms the basis of this review. As mentioned already, ZnO is not new to the semiconductor field, with studies of its lattice parameter dating back to 1935 by Bunn [Proc. Phys. Soc. London 47, 836 (1935)], studies of its vibrational properties with Raman scattering in 1966 by Damen et al. [Phys. Rev. 142, 570 (1966)], detailed optical studies in 1954 by Mollwo [Z. Angew. Phys. 6, 257 (1954)], and its growth by chemical-vapor transport in 1970 by Galli and Coker [Appl. Phys. ...

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A comprehensive review of zno materials and devices

Spintronics, or spin electronics, involves the study of active control and manipulation of spin degrees of freedom in solid-state systems. This article reviews the current status of this subject, including both recent advances and well-established results. The primary focus is on the basic physical principles underlying the generation of carrier spin polarization, spin dynamics, and spin-polarized transport in semiconductors and metals. Spin transport differs from charge transport in that spin is a nonconserved quantity in solids due to spin-orbit and hyperfine coupling. The authors discuss in detail spin decoherence mechanisms in metals and semiconductors. Various theories of spin injection and spin-polarized transport are applied to hybrid structures relevant to spin-based devices and fundamental studies of materials properties. Experimental work is reviewed with the emphasis on projected applications, in which external electric and magnetic fields and illumination by light will be used to control spin and charge dynamics to create new functionalities not feasible or ineffective with conventional electronics.

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Spintronics: Fundamentals and applications

Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: A Critical Review of the Theoretical and Empirical Literature and Suggestions for Future Research

We test the relationship between shareholder value, stakeholder management, and social issue participation. Building better relations with primary stakeholders like employees, customers, suppliers, and communities could lead to increased shareholder wealth by helping firms develop intangible, valuable assets which can be sources of competitive advantage. On the other hand, using corporate resources for social issues not related to primary stakeholders may not create value for shareholders. We test these propositions with data from S&P 500 firms and find evidence that stakeholder management leads to improved shareholder value, while social issue participation is negatively associated with shareholder value. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

http://faculty.wwu.edu/dunnc3/rprnts.shareholdervaluesocialissues.pdf

Shareholder value, stakeholder management, and social issues: what's the bottom line?

In the past ten years we have witnessed a revival of, and subsequent rapid expansion in, the research on zinc oxide (ZnO) as a semiconductor. Being initially considered as a substrate for GaN and related alloys, the availability of high-quality large bulk single crystals, the strong luminescence demonstrated in optically pumped lasers and the prospects of gaining control over its electrical conductivity have led a large number of groups to turn their research for electronic and photonic devices to ZnO in its own right. The high electron mobility, high thermal conductivity, wide and direct band gap and large exciton binding energy make ZnO suitable for a wide range of devices, including transparent thin-film transistors, photodetectors, light-emitting diodes and laser diodes that operate in the blue and ultraviolet region of the spectrum. In spite of the recent rapid developments, controlling the electrical conductivity of ZnO has remained a major challenge. While a number of research groups have reported achieving p-type ZnO, there are still problems concerning the reproducibility of the results and the stability of the p-type conductivity. Even the cause of the commonly observed unintentional n-type conductivity in as-grown ZnO is still under debate. One approach to address these issues consists of growing high-quality single crystalline bulk and thin films in which the concentrations of impurities and intrinsic defects are controlled. In this review we discuss the status of ZnO as a semiconductor. We first discuss the growth of bulk and epitaxial films, growth conditions and their influence on the incorporation of native defects and impurities. We then present the theory of doping and native defects in ZnO based on density-functional calculations, discussing the stability and electronic structure of native point defects and impurities and their influence on the electrical conductivity and optical properties of ZnO. We pay special attention to the possible causes of the unintentional n-type conductivity, emphasize the role of impurities, critically review the current status of p-type doping and address possible routes to controlling the electrical conductivity in ZnO. Finally, we discuss band-gap engineering using MgZnO and CdZnO alloys.

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Fundamentals of zinc oxide as a semiconductor

Indium zinc oxide thin films deposited by sputtering at room temperature

p-n junctions have been formed in lightly n-type (1017cm−3) bulk, single-crystal ZnO substrates by diffusion of P from a Cd3P2, arsenic and red phosphorous dopant source in a closed-ampoule system. The P incorporation depth was found to be ∼200nm after diffusion at 550°C for 30min, as determined by secondary ion mass spectrometry profiling. The resulting structures show rectification, with on-off current ratios of ∼70 at +3∕−5V. The forward current ideality factor was ⩾2, consistent with multiple current transport mechanisms present in the junction, such as defect-assisted tunneling and conventional carrier recombination in the space-charge region via midgap deep levels. The forward turn-on voltage, VF was ∼4V at 300K with a specific on-state resistance (RON) of ∼21mΩcm2. The activation energy of the forward current at low forward biases was ∼1.4eV. This is also consistent with carrier recombination in the space charge region via a midgap deep level.

Formation of p-n homojunctions in n-ZnO bulk single crystals by diffusion from a Zn3P2 source

Temperature dependent cw- and time-resolved photoluminescence combined with absorption measurements are employed to evaluate the origin of radiative recombination in ZnCdO alloys grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. The near-band-edge emission is attributed to recombination of excitons localized within band tail states likely caused by nonuniformity in Cd distribution. Energy transfer between the tail states is argued to occur via tunneling of localized excitons. The transfer is shown to be facilitated by increasing Cd content due to a reduction of the exciton binding energy and, therefore, an increase of the exciton Bohr radius in the alloys with a high Cd content. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Mechanism for radiative recombination in ZnCdO alloys

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We analyze fundamental issues related to the thermal and electrical stability of a coated conductor during its operation. We address the role of conductive buffer layers in the stability of Ni-based coated conductors, and the effect of a metallic cap layer on the electrical properties of Ni alloy-based superconducting tapes. For the first case we report on the fabrication of a fully conductive RABiTS architecture formed of bilayers of conductive oxides SrRuO/sub 3/ and LaNiO/sub 3/ on textured Ni tapes. For the second case we discuss measurements of current-voltage relations on Ag/YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// and Cu/Ag/YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// prototype multilayers on insulating substrates. Limitations on the overall tape structure and properties that are posed by the stability requirement are presented.

David P. Norton

Papers

Indium zinc oxide thin films deposited by sputtering at room temperature

Formation of p-n homojunctions in n-ZnO bulk single crystals by diffusion from a Zn3P2 source

Mechanism for radiative recombination in ZnCdO alloys

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Conductive buffer layers and overlayers for the thermal stability of coated conductors