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

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

We review the physical properties of diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) of the type AII1−xMnxBVI (e.g., Cd1−xMnxSe, Hg1−xMnxTe). Crystallographic properties are discussed first, with emphasis on the common structural features which these materials have as a result of tetrahedral bonding. We then describe the band structure of the AII1−xMnxBVI alloys in the absence of an external magnetic field, stressing the close relationship of the sp electron bands in these materials to the band structure of the nonmagnetic AIIBVI ‘‘parent’’ semiconductors. In addition, the characteristics of the narrow (nearly localized) band arising from the half‐filled Mn 3d5 shells are described, along with their profound effect on the optical properties of DMS. We then describe our present understanding of the magnetic properties of the AII1−xMnxBVI alloys. In particular, we discuss the mechanism of the Mn++‐Mn++ exchange, which underlies the magnetism of these materials; we present an analytic formulation for the magnetic susc...

Diluted magnetic semiconductors

We have performed a comprehensive first-principles investigation of native point defects in ZnO based on density functional theory within the local density approximation (LDA) as well as the $\mathrm{LDA}+U$ approach for overcoming the band-gap problem. Oxygen deficiency, manifested in the form of oxygen vacancies and zinc interstitials, has long been invoked as the source of the commonly observed unintentional $n$-type conductivity in ZnO. However, contrary to the conventional wisdom, we find that native point defects are very unlikely to be the cause of unintentional $n$-type conductivity. Oxygen vacancies, which have most often been cited as the cause of unintentional doping, are deep rather than shallow donors and have high formation energies in $n$-type ZnO (and are therefore unlikely to form). Zinc interstitials are shallow donors, but they also have high formation energies in $n$-type ZnO and are fast diffusers with migration barriers as low as $0.57\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$; they are therefore unlikely to be stable. Zinc antisites are also shallow donors but their high formation energies (even in Zn-rich conditions) render them unlikely to be stable under equilibrium conditions. We have, however, identified a different low-energy atomic configuration for zinc antisites that may play a role under nonequilibrium conditions such as irradiation. Zinc vacancies are deep acceptors and probably related to the frequently observed green luminescence; they act as compensating centers in $n$-type ZnO. Oxygen interstitials have high formation energies; they can occur as electrically neutral split interstitials in semi-insulating and $p$-type materials or as deep acceptors at octahedral interstitial sites in $n$-type ZnO. Oxygen antisites have very high formation energies and are unlikely to exist in measurable concentrations under equilibrium conditions. Based on our results for migration energy barriers, we calculate activation energies for self-diffusion and estimate defect-annealing temperatures. Our results provide a guide to more refined experimental studies of point defects in ZnO and their influence on the control of $p$-type doping.

Native point defects in ZnO

In this chapter, we will restrict our attention to the ferrites and a few other closely related materials. The great interest in ferrites stems from their unique combination of a spontaneous magnetization and a high electrical resistivity. The observed magnetization results from the difference in the magnetizations of two non-equivalent sub-lattices of the magnetic ions in the crystal structure. Materials of this type should strictly be designated as “ferrimagnetic” and in some respects are more closely related to anti-ferromagnetic substances than they are to ferromagnetics in which the magnetization results from the parallel alignment of all the magnetic moments present. We shall not adhere to this special nomenclature except to emphasize effects, which are due to the existence of the sub-lattices.

Ferromagnetic materials

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), photoluminescence, and infrared optical absorption have been used to investigate a ZnO crystal before and after a thermal anneal for 1 h in air at 900 °C. The sample was an undoped high quality crystal grown by the chemical vapor transport method. In addition to shallow donor impurities, the crystal contained trace amounts of copper ions. Prior to the thermal anneal, these ions were all in the Cu+ (3d10) state and the observed luminescence at 5 K, produced by 364 nm light, consisted of a broad structureless band peaking at 500 nm. After the high-temperature anneal, the Cu2+ (3d9) EPR spectrum was observed and the luminescence had changed significantly. The emission then peaked near 510 nm and showed structure identical to that reported by Dingle [Phys. Rev. Lett. 23, 579 (1969)]. Our data reaffirm that the structured green emission in ZnO is associated with Cu2+ ions. We suggest that the unstructured green emission (observed before the high-temperature anneal) is don...

Role of copper in the green luminescence from ZnO crystals

Nitrogen acceptors are formed when undoped single crystals of zinc oxide (ZnO) grown by the chemical-vapor transport method are annealed in air or nitrogen atmosphere at temperatures between 600 and 900 °C. After an anneal, an induced near-edge absorption band causes the crystals to appear yellow. Also, the concentration of neutral shallow donors, as monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), is significantly reduced. A photoinduced EPR signal due to neutral nitrogen acceptors is observed when the annealed crystals are exposed to laser light (e.g., 364, 442, 458, or 514 nm) at low temperature. The nitrogens are initially in the nonparamagnetic singly ionized state (N−) in an annealed crystal, because of the large number of shallow donors, and the light converts a portion of them to the paramagnetic neutral acceptor state (N0).

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Production of nitrogen acceptors in ZnO by thermal annealing

Zinc oxide crystals grown by the seeded chemical vapor transport method have been annealed in zinc vapor at 1100 °C for 30 min. These thermochemical reduction treatments produce a deep red coloration in the crystals and increase their n-type electrical conductivity. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), optical absorption, and Hall measurements were used to monitor changes in the crystals. After an anneal, an intense optical absorption band is present that extends from the band edge out to approximately 550 nm, and the EPR signal near g=1.96 (due to shallow donors and/or conduction-band electrons), the free-carrier absorption, and the Hall electron concentration are all larger. Hydrogen was not present during these anneals, thus leaving oxygen vacancies and zinc interstitials as candidates for the added donors. Neutral oxygen vacancies are produced at high temperature by the additive-coloration mechanism, and are responsible for the broad near-edge absorption band. The observed increase in the number of ...

Production of Native Donors in ZnO by Annealing at High Temperature in Zn Vapor

Hall-effect, photoluminescence (PL), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements have been performed in single-crystal ZnO samples annealed in air at 25, 550, 750, and 950 °C, for 30 min each. A 37 meV donor is dominant in the unannealed sample, but nearly disappears during the higher temperature anneals, and is replaced by a 67 meV donor. The 37 meV donor is responsible for a donor-bound-exciton PL line at (3.3631 ± 0.0002) eV, which is dominant in the unannealed sample. The EPR measurements show that N o centers appear in the 750 °C and 950 °C anneals, and they are probably responsible for an increase in the acceptor concentration found from the Hall-effect results. A PL emission at (3.3570 ± 0.0002) eV, assigned in the literature as an acceptor-bound exciton, may involve N o complexes.

The Path To ZnO Devices: Donor and Acceptor Dynamics

We demonstrate that remote plasma hydrogenation can increase electron concentrations in ZnO single crystals by more than an order of magnitude. We investigated the effects of this treatment on Hall concentration and mobility as well as on the bound exciton emission peak I4 for a variety of ZnO single crystals–bulk air annealed, Li doped, and epitaxially grown on sapphire. Hydrogen increases I4 intensity in conducting samples annealed at 500 and 600 °C and partially restores emission in the I4 range for Li-diffused ZnO. Hydrogenation increases carrier concentration significantly for the semi-insulating Li doped and epitaxial thin film samples. These results indicate a strong link between the incorporation of hydrogen, increased donor-bound exciton PL emission, and increased n-type conductivity.

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Nancy C. Giles

Papers

Role of copper in the green luminescence from ZnO crystals

Production of nitrogen acceptors in ZnO by thermal annealing

Production of Native Donors in ZnO by Annealing at High Temperature in Zn Vapor

The Path To ZnO Devices: Donor and Acceptor Dynamics

Remote hydrogen plasma doping of single crystal ZnO