Comprehensive characterization of Al-doped ZnO thin films deposited in confocal radio frequency magnetron co-sputtering

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Al-doped ZnO thin films with varying Aluminium (Al) content were deposited by radio frequency magnetron co-sputtering of two ZnO and Al targets in confocal configuration. A comprehensive study of the effect of Al content variation on the structural, optical and electrical properties were studied for as-deposited films and after an annealing step under controlled argon atmosphere. Chemical composition analyses, performed by both X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry, show an Al content variation in the deposited films in the 0-14 at.% range by varying the Al target power from 0 to 30 W, while the Zn target power was kept constant at 200 W. All deposited films exhibit a wurtzite crystalline structure and a decreasing crystalline quality for Al content above 5 at.% as shown by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction patterns. Atomic Force Microscopy analysis revealed films with homogeneous and dense surface morphology with roughness in the one nm range. Carrier concentration, resistivity and photoluminescence vary significantly with Al content in the ZnO films and appear optimized for an Al content window ranging from 1.5 to 5.5 at. %. Both optical and electrical properties are improved by a post-annealing at 300°C under argon. A high figure of merit of 43.6 × 10-4 sq.Ω-1 was obtained for the ZnO film with Al content of 3.6 at.% after annealing at 300°C. Optimized properties are obtained for a higher Al content than the standard value of 2 at. % widely used in published works.