Effect of Li doping in NiO thin films on its transparent and conducting properties and its application in heteroepitaxial p-n junctions

Li doped NiO (Li(x)Ni(1-x)O) thin films were epitaxially grown along [111] orientation on c-sapphire by pulsed laser deposition. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the films were investigated using x-ray diffraction, four probe technique, and UV-visible spectra, respectively. The epitaxial growth of [111] Li doped NiO on [0001] sapphire was determined by using high resolution x-ray Phi scan. Effects of the deposition condition and Li doping concentration variations on the electrical and optical properties of Li doped NiO films were also investigated. The analysis of the resistivity data show that doped Li ions occupy the substitutional sites in the films, enhancing the p-type conductivity. The minimum resistivity of 0.15 Omega cm was obtained for Li(0.07)Ni(0.93)O film. The activation energy of Li doped NiO films were estimated to be in the range of 0.11-0.14 eV. Based upon these values, a possible electrical transport mechanism is discussed. A p-n heterojunction has also been fabricated for the optimized p-Li doped NiO with n-ZnO. The insertion of i-MgZnO between the p and n layer led to improved current-voltage characteristics due to reduced leakage current. In the diode architecture, a heteroepitaxial relationship of [111](NiO)parallel to[0001](MgZnO)parallel to[0001](ZnO)parallel to[0001](GZO)parallel to[0001](Al2O3) among the layers was obtained. The p-i-n heterojunction showed good rectification behavior with turn on voltage of 2.8 V and breakdown voltage of 8.0 V. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3499276]