J. Semicond. > 2024, Volume 45 > Issue 12 > 122101
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ARTICLES

Advancing Al-doped ZnO thin films structural, optical and electrical properties of low temperature PET substrates via flash lamp annealing

Juwon Lee1, Chang-Hyeon Jo1, Gwangseop Lee1, Min-Sung Bae1, Slawomir Prucnal3, Shengqiang Zhou3, Muhammad Zubair Khan4, Osama Gohar5, Mohsin Saleem6, and Jung-Hyuk Koh1, 2,

+ Author Affiliations

 Corresponding author: Mohsin Saleem, mohsin852@cau.ac.kr; mohsin852604@gmail.com; Jung-Hyuk Koh, jhkoh@cau.ac.kr

DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/24070005

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Abstract: In this study, aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films were deposited onto a low-temperature polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using DC magnetron sputtering. Deposition parameters included power range of 100−300 W, a working pressure of 15 mTorr, and a substrate temperature of 50 °C. Post-deposition, flash lamp annealing (FLA) was employed as a rapid thermal processing method with a pulse duration of 1.7 ms and energy density of 7 J·cm−2, aimed at enhancing the film's quality while preserving the temperature-sensitive PET substrate. FLA offers advantages over conventional annealing, including shorter processing times and improved material properties. The structural, optical, and electrical characteristics of the AZO films were assessed using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, ultraviolet−visible spectroscopy, and Hall effect measurements. The results demonstrated that properties of AZO films varied with deposition and annealing conditions. Films deposited at 200 W and subjected to FLA exhibited superior crystallinity, with average visible light transmittance exceeding 80% and resistivity as low as 0.38 Ω·cm representing 95% improvement in transmittance. Electrical analysis revealed that carrier concentration, mobility, and resistivity were influenced by both sputtering and annealing parameters. These findings underscore the effectiveness of FLA in optimizing AZO thin film properties, highlighting potential in optoelectronics applications.

Key words: flash lamp annealing, AZO, thin film, PET, sputtering



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Fig. 1.  (Color online) Schematic diagram of the thin film growth and flash lamp annealing of the AZO on PET substrate.

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Fig. 2.  (Color online) XRD patterns of the 100−300 W power of as-prepared AZO, thin films deposited on PET substrate by DC magnetron sputtering (a) before and (b) after FLA. (c) Schematic of the crystal structure of AZO.

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Fig. 3.  (Color online) Representative Rietveld fits to room temperature XRD patterns of AZO. The measured, calculated, and varied patterns are shown by black dots, red solid lines, and blue solid lines, respectively. Bragg peaks' locations are depicted as solid bars.

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Fig. 4.  (Color online) (a)–(e) The surface, (f) elemental dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and (g) optical microscopy of AZO thin films deposited at different DC sputtering powers of 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 W.

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Fig. 5.  (Color online) Elemental mapping of AZO thin films deposited at different DC sputtering powers of 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 W.

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Fig. 6.  (Color online) The UV−Vis spectroscopy of AZO thin films deposited at different DC powers of 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 W, (a) before and (b) after FLA in the wavelength range of 300−800 nm.

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Fig. 7.  (Color online) Band gap energy of AZO films on PET substrate as a function of FLA power (a) before and (b) after FLA.

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Fig. 8.  (Color online) FTIR spectra of AZO thin films deposited at different DC sputtering powers of 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 W ranging (a) from 400 to 4000 cm−1 and (b) from 50 to 700 cm−1.

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Fig. 9.  (Color online) The photoluminescence spectra of AZO thin films deposited at different DC sputtering powers of 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 W (a) before and (b) after FLA.

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Fig. 10.  (Color online) (a) Resistivity of AZO thin films deposited at different DC sputtering powers before and after FLA. (b) Sheet resistance and figure of merit of AZO thin films deposited at different DC sputtering powers after FLA.

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Fig. 11.  (Color online) Carrier concentration, Hall mobility, and resistivity of AZO thin films deposited at different DC powers (a) before FLA and (b) after FLA.

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Table 1.   Structural parameters of AZO thin films before and after FLA. Calculations are based on (100) peaks of the respective diffraction patterns.

AnnealingDC sputtering
power (W)		2θ
(deg)		FWHM
(deg)		AreaCrystallite size
(nm)		Lattice parameters
a (Å)c (Å)
Before FLA10031.590.28161.35.743.275.22
15031.790.50767.53.263.255.21
20031.990.761023.52.163.235.19
25031.920.862377.61.893.235.22
30031.700.895675.41.843.265.21
After FLA10031.790.02150.35.893.255.23
15031.850.50305.03.283.245.23
20031.900.732930.52.253.245.20
25031.760.784776.52.103.255.22
30031.740.698974.82.363.255.19
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Table 2.   Structural parameters of AZO thin films before and after FLA. Calculations are done by considering the (101) peak.

AnnealingDC sputtering
power (W)		2θ
(deg)		FWHM
(deg)		AreaCrystallite size
(nm)		Lattice parameters
a (Å)c (Å)
Before FLA100−−−−3.275.22
15036.290.60610.12.873.255.21
20036.600.87680.21.993.235.19
25036.620.87711.61.983.235.22
30036.571.035337.81.683.265.21
After FLA100−−−−3.255.23
150−−−−3.245.23
20036.470.591211.22.903.245.20
25036.550.801386.32.163.255.22
30036.400.876807.21.983.255.19
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Table 3.   The EDS-based atomic composition of AZO thin films after FLA.

ElementDC power (W)
100150200250300
Zn30.932.335.624.616.6
O44.346.746.029.424.3
Al1.21.31.40.90.5
C23.619.716.945.158.6
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Table 4.   The highest transmittance and average transmittance in visible region (400−800 nm) of AZO thin films at different DC powers before FLA and after FLA.

Transmittance (%)DC power (W)
Before FLAAfter FLA
100150200250300100150200250300
Highest transmittance93.686.382.074.160.796.094.988.561.551.3
Average transmittance87.180.474.562.549.090.588.480.952.443.1
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Table 5.   Calculated concentration, mobility, and resistivity from Hall effect method of AZO thin films after FLA.

Annealing Sputtering power (W) Concentration (1017 cm−3) Mobility (cm2/(V·s)) Resistivity (Ω·cm)
Before FLA 100 1.57 0.13 11.44
150 3.07 0.44 10.54
200 4.23 0.60 8.07
250 7.32 1.45 3.43
300 15.38 1.96 1.28
After FLA 100 2.03 4.60 0.75
150 4.15 5.12 0.74
200 5.49 8.06 0.38
250 1.31 1.11 5.16
300 0.15 0.41 8.12
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Table 6.   Comparison of the electrical properties of ZnO series materials after various annealing processes.

Material Annealing process Concentration
(cm−3)		 Mobility
(cm2/(V·s))		 Resistivity
(Ω·cm)		 Reference
Ga-doped ZnO Furnace annealing (FA) 1.4 × 1021 5.3 8.2 × 10−4 [66]
F−Ga-doped ZnO Furnace annealing (FA) 3.6 × 1020 4.9 3.8 × 10−3 [67]
Ti−Ga-doped ZnO Furnace annealing (FA) 4.0 × 1020 6.5 2.2 × 10−3 [68]
Ti-doped ZnO Furnace annealing (FA) 1.7 × 1020 5.4 6.2 × 10−3 [69]
Al-doped MgZnO Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) 1.3 × 1019 7.3 1.9 × 103 [70]
Ga-doped ZnO Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) 3.3 × 1021 4.6 5.5 × 10−4 [71]
Al-doped ZnO Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) 5.1 × 1020 6.8 1.8 × 10−3 [72]
Al-doped ZnO Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) 3.9 × 1021 2.79 0.5 × 10−3 [44]
Al-doped ZnO Flash lamp annealing (FLA) 5.4 × 1017 8.1 0.3 This work
DownLoad: CSV
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[4]
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[5]
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    Received: 06 July 2024 Revised: 15 September 2024 Online: Accepted Manuscript: 22 October 2024Uncorrected proof: 12 November 2024Published: 15 December 2024

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      Article Navigation >  Journal of Semiconductors  > 2024  >  45(12): 122101
      Juwon Lee, Chang-Hyeon Jo, Gwangseop Lee, Min-Sung Bae, Slawomir Prucnal, Shengqiang Zhou, Muhammad Zubair Khan, Osama Gohar, Mohsin Saleem, Jung-Hyuk Koh. Advancing Al-doped ZnO thin films structural, optical and electrical properties of low temperature PET substrates via flash lamp annealing[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2024, 45(12): 122101. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/24070005 ****J Lee, C H Jo, G Lee, M S Bae, S Prucnal, S Q Zhou, M Z Khan, O Gohar, M Saleem, and J H Koh, Advancing Al-doped ZnO thin films structural, optical and electrical properties of low temperature PET substrates via flash lamp annealing[J]. J. Semicond., 2024, 45(12), 122101 doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/24070005
      Citation:
      Juwon Lee, Chang-Hyeon Jo, Gwangseop Lee, Min-Sung Bae, Slawomir Prucnal, Shengqiang Zhou, Muhammad Zubair Khan, Osama Gohar, Mohsin Saleem, Jung-Hyuk Koh. Advancing Al-doped ZnO thin films structural, optical and electrical properties of low temperature PET substrates via flash lamp annealing[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2024, 45(12): 122101. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/24070005 ****
      J Lee, C H Jo, G Lee, M S Bae, S Prucnal, S Q Zhou, M Z Khan, O Gohar, M Saleem, and J H Koh, Advancing Al-doped ZnO thin films structural, optical and electrical properties of low temperature PET substrates via flash lamp annealing[J]. J. Semicond., 2024, 45(12), 122101 doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/24070005
      shu

      Advancing Al-doped ZnO thin films structural, optical and electrical properties of low temperature PET substrates via flash lamp annealing

      DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/24070005
      • 1.

        Graduate School of Intelligent Energy and Industry, Chung-Ang University, Heukseok-ro, Seoul, Republic of Korea

      • 2.

        School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

      • 3.

        Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Ion Beam Physics and Materials Research, Bautzner Landstraße 400, 01328, Dresden, Germany

      • 4.

        Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Mang, Haripur, 22621, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

      • 5.

        Department of Mechanical and Electrical Systems Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Gotanda-cho, Yamanouchi, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8577, Japan

      • 6.

        School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan

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      • Juwon Lee received his Master’s degree from Chung-Ang University, South Korea in 2024. His research focuses on the study of transparent conductive oxide materials and improving properties through improving crystallinity in thin film
      • Mohsin Saleem holds a Ph.D. in Electro-Functional Materials Engineering from the University of Science and Technology, South Korea. He is currently a Research Professor at the School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Chung-Ang University, South Korea. His research expertise lies in the field of energy storage and harvesting applications, where he focuses on developing innovative materials and technologies. Dr. Saleem has made significant contributions to the scientific community, with a strong track record of publications in high-impact journals. His work, recognized for its impact and innovation, has garnered widespread citations and recognition. He also holds patents and has presented his research at leading international conferences. Dr. Saleem is committed to advancing the field of energy solutions through interdisciplinary collaboration and cutting-edge research
      • Jung-Hyuk Koh received B.S degree in Electrical Engineering from Chung-Ang University, South Korea, M.S in Advanced Materials Science and Engineering from KAIST, and Ph.D. in Sold State Electronics from Royal Insitute of Technology (KTH), Sweden. He is currently a Professor at the School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Chung-Ang University, South Korea. His research focuses on the piezeoelectric energy harvesting system, lead-free materials of piezoelectric, and materials of semiconductors
      • Corresponding author: mohsin852@cau.ac.kr; mohsin852604@gmail.com; jhkoh@cau.ac.kr
      • Received Date: 2024-07-06
      • Revised Date: 2024-09-15
        • Available Online: 2024-10-22

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