Effects of native defects on optical and electrical properties of ZnO prepared by pulsed laser deposition

ZnO thin film has been deposited on a sapphire (001) at a temperature of 400°C using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with oxygen pressures of 50, 200, 300 and 500 mTorr. As the oxygen pressure for the thin film deposition increases, the crystallinity of the samples degrades as measured by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In contrast, the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of ultra-violet (UV) luminescence increases as the oxygen pressure increases up to 300 mTorr. This is probably because the stoichiometry of oxygen-deficient ZnO film is improved by increasing oxygen pressure. According to the results from Hall measurements, the oxygen vacancy as a native donor defect in the ZnO decreases in concentration as the pressure increases. It is concluded that the UV luminescence intensity strongly depends on the stoichiometry in the ZnO film rather than the micro-structural quality of the crystal.