Strong enhancement of ultra-violet emission by Ce doping of ZnO sputtered films

Abstract We report that ultra-violet (UV) emission of ZnO can be made much more intense by incorporating Ce in the ZnO films. After annealing at 1100 °C in N 2 gas, the UV peak (≈3.34 eV, width 133 meV) – intensity for the film doped with Ce is two order of magnitude stronger than that of un-doped ZnO films. The large enhancement is correlated with improved crystallinity and appears due to fewer non-radiative recombination pathways. The improved crystallinity can be related to Ce affecting the self-texturing of ZnO during sputter deposition and annealing.