Abstract
The effects of extra H2O-modulated oxidation are reported on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of nonpolar m-plane ZnO thin films grown on m-plane Al2O3 substrates by atomic layer deposition. Films without modulation, one modulated layer, and two modulated layers are compared. Structural properties studied using x-ray reflectivity, x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy show that all the films have a largely similar thickness and epitaxial relations with their substrates, but the rocking curves grow broader as the number of modulations increases. However, the extra layer of water modulation reduces the surface roughness drastically and also improves the electrical properties as compared to the unmodulated ZnO films. Water modulation is believed to serve as a source of atomic oxygen that promotes compensation of the pre-existing oxygen vacancies. The films tend to exhibit larger mosaicity around the a-axis as compared to that around the c-axis.
Published Version
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