Impact of Substrate upon Morphology, Luminescence, and Wettability of ZnMgO Layers Deposited by Spray Pyrolysis
Source abstract
Abstract
In this work, we report on a comparative study of the topology, luminescence, and wettability properties of ZnMgO films prepared by a cost-effective spray pyrolysis technology on GaAs substrates with (100), (001), and (111) crystallographic orientations, as well as on Si(100) substrates. Deposition on nanostructured GaAs substrates was also considered. It was found that film growth is not epitaxial or conformal, but rather, it is granular, depending on the nucleating sites for the crystallite growth. The distribution of nucleation sites ensured the preparation of nanostructured films with good uniformity of their topology. The observed difference in columnar growth on Si substrates and pyramidal growth on GaAs ones was explained in terms of the impact of chemical bonding in substrates. The films grown on GaAs substrates with a (001) orientation were found to be made of larger crystallites compared to those deposited on substrates with a (111) orientation. These effects resulted in a difference in roughness of a factor of 1.5, which correlates with the wetting properties of films, with the most hydrophobic surface being found on films deposited on GaAs substrates with a (111) orientation. The prospects for photocatalytic and gas sensor applications of films produced on flat substrates, as well as for plasmonic and other applications of films deposited on nanostructured substrates, are discussed, taking into account the results of the analysis of their photoluminescence properties.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: ZnO doping and properties · Gas Sensing Nanomaterials and Sensors · Copper-based nanomaterials and applications
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
National Center for Materials Study and Testing, Technical University of Moldova, 2004 Chisinau, Moldova
Institute of Electronic Engineering and Nanotechnologies “D. Ghitu”, Technical University of Moldova, 2004 Chisinau, Moldova
Academy of Sciences of Moldova, 2001 Chisinau, Moldova
Funding
Ministry of Education and Research from the Republic of Moldova
References (87)
Show source-provided references
1. Defect Evolution in ZnO and Its Effect on Radiation Tolerance10.1039/C8CP01855C ↗
2. High Electron Mobility of Epitaxial ZnO Thin Films on C-Plane Sapphire Grown by Multistep Pulsed-Laser Deposition10.1063/1.1578694 ↗
3. Ajmal, H.M.S., Khan, F., Nam, K., Kim, H.Y., and Kim, S.D. (2020). Ultraviolet Photodetection Based on High-Performance Co-Plus-Ni Doped ZnO Nanorods Grown by Hydrothermal Method on Transparent Plastic Substrate. Nanomaterials, 10.10.3390/nano10061225 ↗
4. High Sensitivity of NO Gas Sensors Based on Novel Ag-Doped ZnO Nanoflowers Enhanced with a UV Light-Emitting Diode10.1021/acsomega.8b01882 ↗
5. Cesini, I., Kowalczyk, M., Lucantonio, A., D’Alesio, G., Kumar, P., Camboni, D., Massari, L., Pingue, P., De Simone, A., and Fraleoni Morgera, A. (2020). Seedless Hydrothermal Growth of ZnO Nanorods as a Promising Route for Flexible Tactile Sensors. Nanomaterials, 10.10.3390/nano10050977 ↗
6. Zinc Oxide Based Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: A Review10.1016/j.rser.2016.11.273 ↗
7. ZnO Nanowires for Solar Cells: A Comprehensive Review10.1088/1361-6528/ab1f2e ↗
8. Low-Temperature and Solution-Processable Zinc Oxide Transistors for Transparent Electronics10.1021/acsomega.7b01420 ↗
9. Transparent and Flexible Zinc Oxide-Based Thin-Film Diodes and Thin-Film Transistors: A Review10.1063/5.0169308 ↗
10. Gherendi, F., Dobrin, D., and Nistor, M. (2024). Transparent Structures for ZnO Thin Film Paper Transistors Fabricated by Pulsed Electron Beam Deposition. Micromachines, 15.10.3390/mi15020265 ↗
11. Review on Latest Developments in Random Lasers with Coherent Feedback10.1088/0305-4470/38/49/004 ↗
12. Random Lasers: Development, Features and Applications10.1364/OPN.16.1.000024 ↗
13. Simultaneous Formation of Visible and Ultraviolet Random Lasings in ZnO Films10.1063/1.2221406 ↗
14. Stimulated Emission and Lasing of Random-Growth Oriented ZnO Nanowires10.1063/1.1862312 ↗
15. A Comparative Study of Guided Modes and Random Lasing in ZnO Nanorod Structures10.1088/0022-3727/42/9/095106 ↗
16. Random Lasing in Nanostructured ZnO Produced from Bulk ZnSe10.1088/0268-1242/24/8/085017 ↗
17. Enhanced Ultraviolet Random Lasing from Au/MgO/ZnO Heterostructure by Introducing p-Cu2O Hole-Injection Layer10.1021/acsami.6b08955 ↗
18. Electrically Pumped Random Laser Device Based on Pd/SiO2/ZnO Nanorods MIS Structure10.1016/j.rinp.2024.107946 ↗
19. ZnO-Based Random Lasing and Their Sensing Applications: A Mini-Review10.1007/s13204-024-03059-6 ↗
20. Networks of Random Lasers: Current Perspective and Future Challenges [Invited]10.1364/OME.484894 ↗
21. Homoepitaxial ZnO/ZnMgO Laser Structures and Their Properties10.1002/pssa.202000344 ↗
22. Lin, J.-H., Chen, G.-R., Li, S.-J., Song, Y.-F., and Liu, W.-R. (2022). Gain-Guiding Anisotropic Polarized Amplified Spontaneous Emissions from C-Plane ZnO/ZnMgO Multiple Quantum Wells. Materials, 15.10.3390/ma15196668 ↗
23. UV Electroluminescence Emissions from High-Quality ZnO/ZnMgO Multiple Quantum Well Active Layer Light-Emitting Diodes10.1039/D1RA06685D ↗
24. Shi, H., Ren, Z., Zheng, Z., Zhou, X., Luo, C., Ji, H., Zhang, Y., Chen, H., Wu, C., and Chen, Y. (2024). Mercaptopropionic Acid Capped ZnMgO for Efficient and Stable Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes. Laser Photonics Rev., 2400473.10.1002/lpor.202400473 ↗
25. Shafiqul, I.M., Yoshida, T., and Fujita, Y. (2022). P-ZnO/n-ZnMgO Nanoparticle-Based Heterojunction UV Light-Emitting Diodes. Materials, 15.10.3390/ma15238348 ↗
26. Ye, M., Wang, D., Jiao, S., and Chen, L. (2022). Enhanced Deep Ultraviolet Photoresponse in Ga Doped ZnMgO Thin Film. Micromachines, 13.10.3390/mi13071140 ↗
27. Suja, M., Bashar, S.B., Debnath, B., Su, L., Shi, W., Lake, R., and Liu, J. (2017). Electrically Driven Deep Ultraviolet MgZnO Lasers at Room Temperature. Sci. Rep., 7.10.1038/s41598-017-02791-0 ↗
28. Dual-Band MgZnO Ultraviolet Photodetector Integrated with Si10.1063/1.4802486 ↗
29. Recent Progress of ZnMgO Ultraviolet Photodetector*10.1088/1674-1056/26/4/047308 ↗
30. Single-Crystalline Cubic MgZnO Films and Their Application in Deep-Ultraviolet Optoelectronic Devices10.1063/1.3238571 ↗
31. Pulsed Laser Deposition of High Mg-Content MgZnO Films: Effects of Substrate Temperature and Oxygen Pressure10.1063/1.3240328 ↗
32. Annealing Effects on Electrical Properties of MgZnO Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition
33. Energy Band Bowing Parameter in MgZnO Alloys10.1063/1.4926980 ↗
34. High Photo Sensing Performance With Electro-Optically Efficient Silicon Based ZnO/ZnMgO Heterojunction Structure10.1109/JSEN.2018.2849089 ↗
35. Effect of Annealing Atmosphere on Structure and Photoluminescence of ZnMgO Thin Films10.1007/s10854-023-11473-9 ↗
36. Cubic MgZnO Thin Films on Sapphire Substrate: Effect of Deposition Temperature10.1007/s10854-019-00700-x ↗
37. The Effect of Annealing Temperature on the Optical and Electrical Properties of Cubic MgZnO Films Grown by RF Magnetron Sputtering10.1007/s10854-016-5707-7 ↗
38. Ultraviolet Photodetectors Based on MgZnO Thin Films10.1116/1.3575552 ↗
39. Ultraviolet Photodetectors Based on MgZnO Thin Film Grown by RF Magnetron Sputtering10.1016/j.tsf.2016.09.037 ↗
40. Wang, Y., Li, H., Shi, X., Guo, R., and Jin, E. (2023, January 14–16). Preparation of ZnMgO/ZnO Heterojunction by Magnetron Sputtering Method. Proceedings of the International Conference on Optoelectronic Information and Functional Materials (OIFM 2023), Guangzhou, China.10.1117/12.2686792 ↗
41. Ferroelectrics Everywhere: Ferroelectricity in Magnesium Substituted Zinc Oxide Thin Films10.1063/5.0053755 ↗
42. Strong Electro-Optic Effect in Mg Incorporated ZnO Thin Films10.1063/5.0103831 ↗
43. Strong Nonlinear-Polarization in ZnMgO Epitaxial Thin-Films with Li Incorporation10.1088/1361-6463/ad3b06 ↗
44. Interface and Optical Properties of Zn1−xMgxO Films with Mg Content of More than 70% Grown on the (12¯10)-ZnO Substrates10.1063/5.0048110 ↗
45. Recombination Dynamics of Excitons in Mg0.11Zn0.89O Alloy Films Grown Using the High-Temperature-Annealed Self-Buffer Layer by Laser-Assisted Molecular-Beam Epitaxy10.1063/1.2719168 ↗
46. Falson, J., Kozuka, Y., Uchida, M., Smet, J.H., Arima, T., Tsukazaki, A., and Kawasaki, M. (2016). MgZnO/ZnO Heterostructures with Electron Mobility Exceeding 1 × 106 cm2/Vs. Sci. Rep., 6.10.1038/srep26598 ↗
47. Przezdziecka, E., Paradowska, K.M., Jakiela, R., Kryvyi, S., Zielony, E., Placzek-Popko, E., Lisowski, W., Sybilski, P., Jarosz, D., and Adhikari, A. (2022). Polar and Non-Polar Zn1−xMgxO:Sb Grown by MBE. Materials, 15.10.3390/ma15238409 ↗
48. Resonant Raman Scattering of MgZnO Thin Films Grown on Sapphire by MOCVD10.1063/1.3482327 ↗
49. Growth and Characterization of MgxZn1−xO Thin Films by Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition (AACVD)10.1007/s13391-013-3039-9 ↗
50. Fabrication of Zn1−xMgxO/AgyO Heterojunction Diodes by Mist CVD at Atmospheric Pressure10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.153465 ↗
51. Synthesis and Study of ZnO Thin Films Using CVD Technique For Waveguide Sensor Applications
52. Performance Enhancement of MgZnO Ultraviolet Photodetectors Using Ultrathin Al2O3 Inserted Layer
53. Low-Temperature Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of ZnMgO for Efficient CZTS Solar Cells10.1021/acsmaterialslett.2c01203 ↗
54. Zhang, B., Luo, Y., Mai, C., Mu, L., Li, M., Wang, J., Xu, W., and Peng, J. (2021). Effects of ZnMgO Electron Transport Layer on the Performance of InP-Based Inverted Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes. Nanomaterials, 11.10.3390/nano11051246 ↗
55. Tsay, C.-Y., Chen, S.-T., and Fan, M.-T. (2019). Solution-Processed Mg-Substituted ZnO Thin Films for Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Visible-Blind Photodetectors. Coatings, 9.10.3390/coatings9040277 ↗
56. Morari, V., Ursaki, V.V., Rusu, E.V., Zalamai, V.V., Colpo, P., and Tiginyanu, I.M. (2022). Spin-Coating and Aerosol Spray Pyrolysis Processed Zn1−xMgxO Films for UV Detector Applications. Nanomaterials, 12.10.3390/nano12183209 ↗
57. Low-Temperature Growth of ZnMgO Thin Films by Atmospheric Spin-Coating Using Diethylzinc Solution10.1007/s11664-023-10475-x ↗
58. MgO and ZnO Composite Thin Films Using the Spin Coating Method on Microscope Glasses
59. Optoelectronic and Birefringence Properties of Weakly Mg-Doped ZnO Thin Films Prepared by Spray Pyrolysis10.1007/s10854-022-07844-3 ↗
60. Influence of the Aqueous Solution Composition on the Morphology of Zn1−xMgxO Films Deposited by Spray Pyrolysis10.1039/C8TC06097E ↗
61. Band Tail State Related Photoluminescence and Photoresponse of ZnMgO Solid Solution Nanostructured Films10.3762/bjnano.11.75 ↗
62. Optical and Electrical Properties of ZnMgO with High Mg Content Elaborated by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis Using Water-Based Solutions10.1002/pssa.202200091 ↗
63. ZnMgO Thin Films by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis: Modulation of Optical and Electrical Properties by Post-Annealing and Magnesium Composition10.1002/pssa.202400015 ↗
64. Synthesis of Conducting Zn1−xMgxO: Al Layers by Spray Pyrolysis for Photovoltaic Application10.1016/j.tsf.2011.01.184 ↗
65. Optical Properties of ZnMgO Films Grown by Spray Pyrolysis and Their Application to UV Photodetection10.1088/0268-1242/30/10/105026 ↗
66. Preparation of ZnO-Zn2TiO4 Sol Composite Films and Its Photocatalytic Activities10.1155/2013/428419 ↗
67. Synthesis of Zn2TiO4@CdS Core-Shell Heteronanostructures by Novel Thermal Decomposition Approach for Photocatalytic Application10.1002/slct.201903544 ↗
68. Fabrication of Porous Zn2TiO4–ZnO Microtubes and Analysis of Their Acetone Gas Sensing Properties10.1007/s12598-020-01518-x ↗
69. Ciobanu, V., Ursaki, V.V., Lehmann, S., Braniste, T., Raevschi, S., Zalamai, V.V., Monaico, E.V., Colpo, P., Nielsch, K., and Tiginyanu, I.M. (2022). Aero-TiO2 Prepared on the Basis of Networks of ZnO Tetrapods. Crystals, 12.10.3390/cryst12121753 ↗
70. Electrochemically Etched Pores and Wires on Smooth and Textured GaAs Surfaces10.1016/j.electacta.2011.03.084 ↗
71. Monaico, E.V., Morari, V., Ursaki, V.V., Nielsch, K., and Tiginyanu, I.M. (2022). Core–Shell GaAs-Fe Nanowire Arrays: Fabrication Using Electrochemical Etching and Deposition and Study of Their Magnetic Properties. Nanomaterials, 12.10.3390/nano12091506 ↗
72. Porous Semiconductor Compounds with Engineered Morphology as a Platform for Various Applications10.1002/pssr.202300039 ↗
73. Ursaki, V.V., Lehmann, S., Zalamai, V.V., Morari, V., Nielsch, K., Tiginyanu, I.M., and Monaico, E.V. (2022). Core–Shell Structures Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition on GaAs Nanowires. Crystals, 12.10.3390/cryst12081145 ↗
74. A Comprehensive Review of ZnO Materials and Devices10.1063/1.1992666 ↗
75. Intrinsic N-Type versus p-Type Doping Asymmetry and the Defect Physics of ZnO10.1103/PhysRevB.63.075205 ↗
76. Optical Properties of ZnO Nanowire Arrays Electrodeposited on n- and p-Type Si(1 1 1): Effects of Thermal Annealing10.1016/j.mseb.2011.07.017 ↗
77. Fabbri, F., Villani, M., Catellani, A., Calzolari, A., Cicero, G., Calestani, D., Calestani, G., Zappettini, A., Dierre, B., and Sekiguchi, T. (2014). Zn Vacancy Induced Green Luminescence on Non-Polar Surfaces in ZnO Nanostructures. Sci. Rep., 4.10.1038/srep05158 ↗
78. Defect Engineering of ZnO: Review on Oxygen and Zinc Vacancies10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2021.03.031 ↗
79. Native Point Defects in ZnO10.1103/PhysRevB.76.165202 ↗
80. Broadening of Impurity Bands in Heavily Doped Semiconductors
81. Blue Luminescence of ZnO Nanoparticles Based on Non-Equilibrium Processes: Defect Origins and Emission Controls10.1002/adfm.200901884 ↗
82. Photoluminescence and Resonant Raman Scattering in Highly Conductive ZnO Layers10.1063/1.1763980 ↗
83. Bound Exciton and Donor–Acceptor Pair Recombinations in ZnO10.1002/pssb.200301962 ↗
84. Possible Coherent Backscattering of Lightwaves from a Strongly Absorbing Nanoporous Medium10.1088/2040-8986/aac841 ↗
85. Study of an Electrically Anisotropic Cylinder Excited Magnetically by a Straight Strip Line10.2528/PIER07041203 ↗
86. Analysis of Electromagnetic Scattering from Anisotropic Cylindrical Structures Using State Space Method10.1016/j.aeue.2018.01.016 ↗
87. Aero-ZnS Prepared by Physical Vapor Transport on Three-Dimensional Networks of Sacrificial ZnO Microtetrapods10.3762/bjnano.15.44 ↗