Influence of Hf doping concentration on microstructure and optical properties of HfxZn1-xO thin films

Abstract Hf x Zn 1− x O thin films ( x =3, 7, 10 and 15 mol%) were deposited on Si (1 0 0) using pulsed laser deposition. The influence of the Hf concentration on the microstructure and optical properties of the films was studied. It is found that Hf ions can be effectively doped into ZnO and all films crystallize in the hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferred c -axis orientation. The lattice constants of Hf x Zn 1− x O films increase with the Hf contents. Two ultraviolet peaks centered at about 364 and 380 nm coexist in the fluorescent spectra. With increasing the Hf contents, the intensity of fluorescent peaks enhances remarkably. At the same time the energy gaps gradually increase, while the positions of ultraviolet peaks remain unchanged. The mechanism of luminescent emission for Hf x Zn 1− x O films was discussed.