The Electrical and Microstructural Properties of ZnO:N Thin Films Grown in The Mixture of $N_2$ and $O_2$ by RF Magnetron Sputtering

ZnO is a promising material to make high efficiency violet or blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) for its large binding energy (60meV) and big bandgap. But the high quality p-type conduction of ZnO is a dilemma to achieve LEDs with it. In present study, we presented a reliable method to prepare ZnO thin films on (100)silicon substrates by RF magnetron sputtering in the mixture ambient of $N_2$ and $O_2$, accompanying with low pressure annealing in the sputtering chamber in $O_2$ at $600^{\circ}C$ and $800^{\circ}C$ respectively. X-ray diffraction and Hail effect with Van der Paul method were performed to test ZnO films. Seeback effect was also carried out to identify carrier types in ZnO films and showed the N-doped ZnO film annealed at $800^{\circ}C$ had achieved p-type conduction.