High optoelectronic performance of magnetron sputtered ZnO thin films co-doped with F and Ga: Experiment and first-principles calculations

Abstract In this study, F-and-Ga co-doped ZnO (FGZO) films were deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and the effect of film thickness on the structural, morphological, electrical, optical, and chemical properties was systematically investigated. A minimum resistivity of 5.95 × 10−4 Ωcm, carrier concentration of 2.39 × 1020 cm-3, and mobility of 44.0 cm2/Vs were obtained at the film thickness of 1450.4 nm. The transmittance of FGZO films is close to that of FTO and ITO films in the optical range of 400−1000 nm. After 70 s’ etching with diluted HCl, the haze values at 550 nm, 800 nm, and 1100 nm are 82.3 %, 48.2 %, and 22.2 %, respectively. After co-doping with F and Ga, the electron density of states at the Fermi level increased significantly, and the free carriers were mainly attributed to the hybridized F 2p, Ga 4p, Ga 4 s, O 2p, and Zn 4 s electronic orbitals.