Plasmonics is a research area merging the fields of optics and nanoelectronics by confining light with relatively large free-space wavelength to the nanometer scale - thereby enabling a family of novel devices. Current plasmonic devices at telecommunication and optical frequencies face significant challenges due to losses encountered in the constituent plasmonic materials. These large losses seriously limit the practicality of these metals for many novel applications. This paper provides an overview of alternative plasmonic materials along with motivation for each material choice and important aspects of fabrication. A comparative study of various materials including metals, metal alloys and heavily doped semiconductors is presented. The performance of each material is evaluated based on quality factors defined for each class of plasmonic devices. Most importantly, this paper outlines an approach for realizing optimal plasmonic material properties for specific frequencies and applications, thereby providing a reference for those searching for better plasmonic materials.

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Searching for better plasmonic materials

Searching for Better Plasmonic Materials

Bottom-gate-type thin film transistors using ZnO as an active channel layer (ZnO–TFT) have been constructed. The ZnO layers were deposited using pulsed laser deposition at 450 °C at an oxygen pressure of 3 m Torr, and the material that was formed had a background carrier concentration of less than 5×1016 cm−3. A double layer gate insulator consisting of SiO2 and SiNx was effective in suppressing leakage current and enabling the ZnO–TFT to operate successfully. The Ion/Ioff ratio of ZnO–TFTs fabricated on Si wafers was more than 105 and the optical transmittance of ZnO–TFTs fabricated on glass was more than 80%. These results show that it is possible to fabricate a transparent TFT that can even be operated in the presence of visible light.

Transparent thin film transistors using ZnO as an active channel layer and their electrical properties

Most research to develop highly transparent and conductive thin films has focused on n-type semiconductors consisting of metal oxides. Historically, transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films composed of binary compounds such as SnO2 and In2O3 were developed by means of chemical- and physical-deposition methods. Impurity-doped SnO2 (Sb- or F-doped SnO2, e.g., SnO2:Sb or SnO2: F) and In2O3: Sn (indium tin oxide, ITO) films are in practical use. In addition to binary compounds, ternary compounds such as Cd2SnO4, CdSnO3, and CdIn2O4 were developed prior to 1980, but their TCO films have not yet been used widely.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0883769400027159

New n-Type Transparent Conducting Oxides

Synthesis of p-type ZnO films

Highly conductive and transparent aluminum- and gallium-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al and ZnO:Ga) thin films in place of indium tin oxide films have been prepared by using XeCl excimer laser ablation at relatively low temperatures. The impurity content of Al or Ga in the ZnO target was optimized on the basis of the measurements of resistivity, carrier concentration, and Hall mobility of the deposited transparent conducting ZnO films. The effects of substrate temperature on the properties of ZnO films were investigated. The crystalline, electrical and optical properties of the films were found to depend directly on substrate temperature during deposition. The minimum resistivity of 1.4×10−4 Ω cm was obtained for the ZnO:Al film prepared at a substrate temperature of 300 °C using a ZnO target with an Al2O3 content of 1% by weight (wt %). Moreover, the ZnO:Al film prepared at a substrate temperature of 100 °C showed a low resistivity value of 2.5×10−4 Ω cm. As for the ZnO:Ga film, on the other hand, the minimum r...

Noriaki Horio

Papers

Transparent conducting ZnO thin films prepared by XeCl excimer laser ablation

Preparation of zinc oxide/metal oxide multilayered thin films for low-voltage varistors