Comparative study on beryllium and magnesium as a co-doping element for ZnO:N**Project supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2011CB302000), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51232009 and 51202299), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (Grant No. 11lgpy16), the Natural Science Foundation for Jiangsu Provincial Higher Education, Institutions of

Abstract

Stable nitrogen doping is an important issue in p-type ZnO research for device applications. In this paper, beryllium and magnesium are systematically compared as a dopant in ZnO to reveal their nitrogen-stabilizing ability. Secondary ion mass spectrum shows that Be and Mg can both enhance the stability of nitrogen in ZnO while Be has a better performance. Zn 2p and O 1s electron binding energies change in both MgZnO and BeZnO thin films. Donor-acceptor luminescence is observed in the BeZnO samples. We conclude that Be is a better co-doping element than Mg for p-type ZnO:N.