Columnar nitrogen-doped ZnO nanostructured thin films obtained through atomic layer deposition. (14th July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rodríguez-López, J; Rangel, R; Ramos-Carrazco, A; Berman-Mendoza, D; Quintana-Owen, P; Bartolo-Pérez, P; Alvarado-Gil, J J
• Is Part Of: Nanotechnology. Volume 32:Number 40(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-07-14
• Subjects: atomic layer deposition -- nanostructured thin films -- ZnO -- microwave heating -- nitrogen doping; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology; Publications périodiques; Nanotechnologies; Periodicals; 620.5
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac0fa1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0957-4484

Abstract

Abstract: The present study was aimed to develop nitrogen-doped nanostructured ZnO thin films. These films were produced in a sequential procedure involving the atomic layer deposition technique, and a hydrothermal process supported by microwave heating. Employing the atomic layer deposition technique, through self-limited reactions of diethylzinc (DEZn) and H2 O, carried out at 3.29 × 10 −4 atm and 190 °C, a high-quality ZnO seed was grown on a Si (100) substrate, producing a textured film. In a second stage, columnar ZnO nanostructures were grown perpendicularly oriented to the silicon substrate on those films, using a solvothermal process in a microwave heating facility, employing Zn(NO3 )2 as zinc precursor, while hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) was used to produce the bridging of Zn 2+ ions. The consequence of N-doping concentration on the physicochemical properties of ZnO thin films was studied. The manufactured films were structurally analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. Also, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman, and UV–vis spectroscopies were used to provide further insight on the effect of nitrogen doping. The N-doped films displayed textured wurtzite-like structures that changes their preferential growth from the (002) to the (100) crystallographic plane, apparently promoted by the increase of nitrogen precursor. It is also shown that nitrogen-doped films undergo a reduction in their bandgap, compared to ZnO. The methodology presented here provides a viable way to perform high-quality N-ZnO nanostructured thin films.