ZnO thin films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering and then diffused by using an As source in the ampouletube. Also, the ZnO p-n homojunction was made by using As-doped ZnO thin films, and its properties were analyzed. After the As doping, the surface roughness increased, the crystal quality deteriorated, and the full width at half maximum was increased. The As-doped ZnO thin films showed typical p-type properties, and their resistivity was as low as 2.19×10-3 Ωcm, probably because of the in-diffusion from an external As source and out-diffusion from the GaAs substrate. Also, the ZnO p-n junction displayed the typical rectification properties of a p-n junction. Therefore, the As diffusion method is effective for obtaining ZnO films with p-type properties.
ZnO:Al thin films were deposited on glass substrate by RF magnetron sputtering followed by in situ heat treatment in the same chamber. Effects of in situ heat treatment on properties of ZnO:Al thin films were investigated in this study. As heat treatment temperature was increased, crystal quality was improved first and then it was deteriorated, surface roughness was decreased, and sheet resistance was also decreased. The decrease in sheet resistance was caused by increasing carrier concentration due to decreased surface roughness. The decrease in surface roughness resulted in increase of transmittance. Therefore, in situ heat treatment is an effective method for obtaining films with better electrical characteristics.