Influence of grain size on the properties of AlN doped ZnO thin film

Thin films of AlN codoped ZnO have been grown successfully for the realization of p-type conduction. With the intention of using the grown p-ZnO films for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices, the film has been study to observe the dependency of structural, optical and electrical properties on dopant concentration using powder X-ray diffraction, reflectance and measurements, respectively. It has been observed from the X-ray diffraction results that the dopant concentration controls the grain size depending on the incorporation of Al and N into the ZnO film. It is also observed that the optical and electrical properties are strongly influenced by the grain size and grain boundaries. In order to check the efficiency of the material for device fabrication, the figure of merit has been calculated and it is observed that the grain size influences the figure of merit. The effect of grain size on properties of AlN doped ZnO films has been discussed in detail. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.