Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol.147, No.1, 210-213, 2000
Characterization of boron-incorporated zinc oxide film chemically prepared from an aqueous solution
Boron-incorporated ZnO film which had a wurtzite structure and showed optical bandgap energy of 3.3 eV was prepared chemically onto a nonconductive substrate by immersing the substrate in an aqueous solution containing a zinc nitrate and dimethylamineborane (DMAB) at 333 K. Effects of the incorporated boron on the structural, optical, and electrical characteristics of ZnO film were investigated using X-ray diffraction, evaluation of surface morphology with an atomic force microscope, measurements of optical transmission spectra,, and Hall measurement. Small amounts of boron atoms, which originated From the DMAB, were incorporated into ZnO grain and gave the lattice expansion. A pore-free ZnO film with a smooth surface was obtained from the 0.1 mol/L DMAB solution. The: ZnO film showed optical transmission as high as 80% in the visible light region and resistivity of 3.6 x 10(2)Omega cm with carrier concentration of 1.7 x 10(16) cm(-3) and mobility of 1.0 cm(2) V-1 s(-1). It was speculated that the incorporated boron atom acted as a donor in the ZnO film.