Regrowth method for the enhancement in the photoluminescence, UV photoresponse, and electrical properties of n-ZnO: Sn films

Abstract

We report the effects of vapor-confined face-to-face annealing (VC-FTFA), where mica is inserted between two films and annealed using FTFA method, on the optical, photoresponse, and electrical properties of Sn-doped ZnO (n-ZnO:Sn) films deposited on a p-Si substrate using the solgel spin-coating method. The near-band-edge photoluminescence emissionintensity is increased by a factor of 445. The photocurrents of the sample 1, 2, and 3 were 1.95×10-4, 1.14×10-3, and 3.47×10-3 A, respectively. The turn-on voltage of the n-ZnO:Sn film/p-Si heterojunction annealed using the VC-FTFA method was measured to be ~3.6 V, which is smaller than that of the heterojunction annealed in open air (~4.2 V). Furthermore, in n-ZnO:Sn film/p-Si heterojunctions annealed in open air and using the VC-FTFA method, the currents at 4.5 V are 4.4 and 17.9 mA, respectively. Our method could provide pathway to the easy fabrication of optoelectronic devices based on an ZnO annealed using the VC-FTFA method. © 2015 Optical Society ofAmerica