Microwave annealing effects on ZnO films deposited by atomic layer deposition

Abstract

Zinc oxide thin films deposited on glass substrate at 150 °C by atomic layer deposition were annealed by the microwave method at temperatures below 500 °C. The microwave annealing effects on the structural and luminescent properties of ZnO films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence. The results show that the MWA process can increase the crystal quality of ZnO thin films with a lower annealing temperature than RTA and relatively decrease the green luminescence of ZnO films. The observed changes have demonstrated that MWA is a viable technique for improving the crystalline quality of ZnO thin film on glass.

Fabrication, Mechanisms, and Properties of High-Performance Flexible Transparent Conductive Gas-Barrier Films Based on Ag Nanowires and Atomic Layer Deposition

“…And as the stress in the growing ALD film was coupled to the Ag NWs surfaces through the formation of −M–O–M– (M ≡ metal in the ALD metal oxide films) linkages across the two Ag NWs, it induced fusing of the uncoated interface, as schematically illustrated in Figure a. Ag NWs have been shown to fuse at room temperatures under an applied pressure of 10 MPa, and therefore the typically >100 MPa stress of ALD ZnO and other oxide films − would easily suffice as the driving force for the observed fusing of Ag NWs. This was consistent with the lower R s of the Al 2 O 3 /Ag NWs and the HZO/Ag NWs made with the H 2 O 2 functionalization step (49 and 15 Ω sq –1 , respectively) than those without it (80 and 48 Ω sq –1 , respectively).…”