Fabrication and Characterization of K-H Co-Doped p-ZnO Thin Films

To study the feasibility of p-ZnO thin films by doping group-I acceptors, potassium (K) was used as a dopant in depositing ZnO thin films on Si(100) substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. The structures and electrical properties of the as-grown ZnO films were characterized by means of Hall, X-ray diffraction, atom force microscopy and X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy. The typical K-H co-doped ZnO films (hydrogen is unintentionally doped impurities) exhibit p type conductivity with a carrier concentration of 5.45 x 10(17) cm(-3), resistivity of 5.9 Omega.cm and mobility of 1.96 cm(2)/V.s. The (002) preferential orientation was observed on its uniform and dense surface with average grain size of 15.30 nm. The p type conductivity of K-H:ZnO was also discussed.