Producing p-ZnO via rf magnetron sputtering onto a thin evaporated layer of Zn₃As₂

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a wide band gap semiconductor with many potential applications, including UV lasers, transparent circuits, and radiation resistant devices. The native defects in ZnO cause it to be n-type, and stable high quality p-type ZnO has proven hard to create. We report on a technique whereby As-doped p-ZnO is created using rf magnetron sputtering onto a thin evaporated layer of Zn₃As₂. The optical characteristics and thickness of the Zn₃As₂ layer have been determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. ZnO quality and doping has been studied with photoluminescence, X-ray diffraction, Hall effect, and other techniques. Annealing in a vacuum leads to better sample quality, although the p-type characteristics have not always been reproducible.