Precise calibration of Mg concentration in MgxZn1-xO thin films grown on ZnO substrates

TL;DR

This paper presents laboratory-based methods for precisely determining Mg content in MgxZn1-xO thin films across a wide concentration range, crucial for optimizing optical and electrical device performance.

Contribution

It introduces combined X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence techniques for accurate Mg content measurement from dilute to high concentrations in MgxZn1-xO films.

Findings

X-ray diffraction correlates well with Mg content for x > 0.023.

Photoluminescence linear dependence enables Mg quantification below x=0.023.

Combined methods cover Mg range from 0.004 to 0.40 in laboratory settings.

Abstract

The growth techniques for MgxZn1-xO thin films have advanced at a rapid pace in recent years, enabling the application of this material to a wide range of optical and electrical applications. In designing structures and optimizing device performances, it is crucial that the Mg content of the alloy be controllable and precisely determined. In this study, we have established laboratory-based methods to determine the Mg content of MgxZn1-xO thin films grown on ZnO substrates, ranging from the solubility limit of x ~ 0.4 to the dilute limit of x < 0.01. For the absolute determination of Mg content, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy is used for the high Mg region above x = 0.14, while secondary ion mass spectroscopy is employed to quantify low Mg content. As a lab-based method to determine the Mg content, c-axis length is measured by X-ray diffraction and is well associated with Mg content. The interpolation enables the determination of Mg content to x = 0.023, where the peak from the ZnO substrate overlaps the MgxZn1-xO peak in standard laboratory equipment, and thus quantitative determination. At dilute Mg contents below x = 0.023, the localized exciton peak energy of the MgxZn1-xO films as measured by photoluminescence is found to show a linear Mg content dependence, which is well resolved from the free exciton peak of ZnO substrate down to x = 0.0043. Our results demonstrate that X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence in combination are appropriate methods to determine Mg content in a wide Mg range from x = 0.004 to 0.40 in a laboratory environment.