Low Temperature Aqueous Polymeric Precursor Processing of ZnO:Er Using a Glycerol Chelating Agent

ABSTRACTErbium doped ZnO (ZnO:Er) is considered to be a suitable candidate for fabrication of the current injection optical devices. Although ZnO: Er thin films have been synthesized previously by pulsed laser deposition, we present low – temperature processed ZnO:Er thin films from polymeric precursors. In this work, we study the effect of variation of Er doping concentration on the structural and electrical properties of the synthesized films. ZnO nanoparticles of varied Er doping concentration, derived from the prepared polymeric solution, has been spin – coated onto surface modified substrates, and annealed at different temperatures. The effect of Er doping concentration on film grain size and strain was analyzed using X-ray diffraction. XRD data reveals that doping of Er ions reduces compressive strain considerably in the films. It is speculated that the presence of larger Er cations in ZnO cause tensile stress, which neutralizes the inherent compressive stress, observed in undoped ZnO, significantly decreasing and hence, making the films stress free. Crystallite size of ZnO:Er thin films, annealed at 600°C, was calculated to be approximately 12 nm using Scherrer's equation. The surface morphology of the thin films was characterized by both SEM and AFM. Electrical resistivity of the films, annealed at 450oC, was calculated to be 290 Ω-m for 5 at wt% and 125 Ω-m for 10 at wt% ZnO:Er films.