XRD, XPS and Dynamic SIMS Analyses of p-Type Zinc Oxynitride Thin Films Deposited on Silicon Wafers by MOCVD

The present study aimed to determine the XRD, XPS and Dynamic SIMS analyses of p-Type Zinc Oxynitride Thin Films Deposited on Silicon Wafers by MOCVD. Zinc oxide thin film is a handy material for several solid state applications due to its many favourable properties. Bis(glycinato-N,O) zinc precursor was synthesized and used to deposit zinc oxynitride thin films on SiO2 substrates at 390°C and 420°C respectively, using the metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) technique. The thin films produced were characterized with hot probe, x-ray diffractometry (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and dynamic secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). Thin-film technology plays an important role that allows deposition of very thin layers (from a few nanometres down to the angstrom level) of semiconductor material on a supporting substrate. The resulting material exhibits novel mechanical, chemical, optical and electrical properties with the reduction in size to the nanometre scale, which is the result of surface and quantum confinement effects. The hot probe tests showed that the thin films had p-type conductivity. XRD spectra of the films gave poorly defined peaks, signifying blurred crystallinity. The XPS analyses revealed the presence of Zn, O and N peaks, with the thin films deposited at 390°C having higher N-doping level than those deposited at 420°C. Results of destructive layer analyses conducted during dynamic SIMS tests on the films were inconclusive. The results show that lower deposition temperatures using the precursor may be preferred to higher temperatures even though the thin films were very thin. Optics and solid state electronics could both use the p-type zinc oxynitride.