Amorphous p-Type Conducting Zn–xIr Oxide (x > 0.13) Thin Films Deposited by Reactive Magnetron Cosputtering

Zinc–iridium oxide (Zn–Ir–O) thin films have been demonstrated as a p-type conducting material. However, the stability of p-type conductivity with respect to chemical composition or temperature is still unclear. In this study we discuss the local atomic structure and the electrical properties of Zn–Ir–O films in the large Ir concentration range. The films are deposited by reactive DC magnetron co-sputtering at two different substrate temperatures—without intentional heating and at 300 °C. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis reveals that strongly disordered ZnO₄ tetrahedra are the main Zn complexes in Zn–Ir–O films with up to 67.4 at% Ir. As the Ir concentration increases, an effective increase of Ir oxidation state is observed. Reverse Monte Carlo analysis of EXAFS at Zn K-edge shows that the average Zn–O interatomic distance and disorder factor increase with the Ir concentration. We observed that the nano-crystalline w-ZnO structure is preserved in a wider Ir concentration range if the substrate is heated during deposition. At low Ir concentration, the transition from n- to p-type conductivity is observed regardless of the temperature of the substrates. Electrical resistivity decreases exponentially with the Ir concentration in the Zn–Ir–O films.