Study of conduction mechanism in p-Zn1-xSbxO/n-Si- (x=0.00, 0.03, 0.05) hetero-junction devices

Here, we report the fabrication of the p-n hetero-junction devices of p-Zn1-xSbxO/n-Si- grown by utilizing the radio-frequency sputtering technique. The fabricated devices were analyzed for morphological and structural modifications under atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-Ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The AFM studies reveal the growth of agglomerated nanoparticles like structures distributed throughout the surfaces of the deposited films, whereas, XRD studies reveal the significant change in crystallite size, lattice parameters, stress and strain with the incorporation of antimony (Sb) in ZnO matrix. The conduction behavior of charge carriers has been systematically analyzed in the fabricated hetero-junction devices. Current-Voltage (I-V) characteristics reveal a trap free space charge limiting current conduction in the fabricated devices. The room temperature mobility of charge carriers for the pristine ZnO, Zn0.97Sb0.03O and Zn0.95Sb0.05O thin film devices are found to be 8.06 x 10(-2), 19.0 x 10(-2) and 40.69 x 10(-2) cm(2)/Vs, respectively.

Automated summary

In this study, p-n hetero-junction devices of p-Zn1-xSbxO/n-Si- were fabricated using radio-frequency sputtering technique and analyzed for morphological and structural modifications. The AFM studies revealed the growth of agglomerated nanoparticles on the film surfaces, while XRD studies showed significant changes in crystal structure and properties with antimony incorporation.