Properties of zinc oxide films prepared by the oxidation of diethyl zinc

Abstract
Polycrystalline transparent semiconducting zinc oxide films have been deposited by the oxidation of diethyl zinc. The film growth rate is controlled by a complex multistep oxidation process which is dominated by radical reactions. The effect of substrate temperature and gas pressures have been studied. Samples deposited between 280 and 350 °C have a conductivity varying from 10−2 to 50 Ω−1 cm−1. The electrical properties of the films which are typical of polycrystalline material with small crystallites are shown to depend very closely on the film growth conditions. A study of oxygen chemisorption at grain boundaries confirms the importance of grain boundary effects in ZnO polycrystalline films.