Optical and Structural Properties of Manganese-Doped Zinc Oxide Grown by Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

This systematic study investigates the optical properties and process-structure-property relationships of Mn-doped zinc oxide (ZnMnO) grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition with varying Mn-doping concentration and growth conditions. ZnMnO exhibits a good crystal quality oriented in the (002) direction and contains intermixtures of zinc oxide (ZnO)-like and manganese oxide (MnxOy)-like phases. The material exhibits a direct energy absorption band-edge and a reduction in bandgap with Mn-doping. Photoluminescence studies show that Mn-doping can simultaneously tailor broad green band luminescence and ultraviolet edge emissions. Post-growth air-annealing results in broad MnxOy-related photoluminescence emissions at 3.3-4.5 eV. A further reduction in the absorption band-edge is also observed with annealing. Results indicate that luminescence wavelengths and intensities, and absorption band-edge can be tuned with the Mn-doping process. This paper promotes a thorough understanding of defect centers in ZnO with transition metal doping and their interrelation with optical characteristics. The work provides a solid foundation for the development of optoelectronic devices, such as light emitting diodes, solar cells, lasers, and photodetectors using ZnO-based materials.

Automated summary

This study investigates the optical properties and process-structure-property relationships of Mn-doped zinc oxide grown using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition with varying Mn-doping concentration and growth conditions. The results show that Mn-doping can alter the bandgap and photoluminescence characteristics of ZnMnO.