Enhanced p-type conductivity and band gap narrowing in heavily Al doped NiO thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering

Stoichiometric NiO, a Mott-Hubbard insulator at room temperature, shows p-type electrical conduction due to the introduction of Ni2+ vacancies (V-Ni '') and self-doping of Ni3+ ions in the presence of excess oxygen. The electrical conductivity of this important material is low and not sufficient for active device fabrication. Al doped NiO thin films were synthesized by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering on glass substrates at a substrate temperature of 250 degrees C in an oxygen + argon atmosphere in order to enhance the p-type electrical conductivity. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed the correct phase formation and also oriented growth of NiO thin films. Al doping was confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic studies. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the films were investigated as a function of Al doping (0-4 wt%) in the target. The room temperature electrical conductivity increased from 0.01-0.32 S cm(-1) for 0-4% Al doping. With increasing Al doping, above the Mott critical carrier density, energy band gap shrinkage was observed. This was explained by the shift of the band edges due to the existence of exchange and correlation energies amongst the electron-electron and hole-hole systems and also by the interaction between the impurity quasi-particle system.