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Effect of Al3+/Si4+ codoping on the structural, optoelectronic and UV sensing properties of ZnO

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Abstract

The structural, vibrational, and optoelectronic properties of sol–gel synthesized Zn1−x(Al0.5Si0.5)xO nanoparticles were investigated. The X-ray diffraction studies of the samples confirmed the hexagonal wurtzite phase with the space group P63mc. No significant changes were observed in the lattice parameters. The increase in the intensity of \(E_{\rm{2}}^{{\rm{high}}}\) Raman mode observed at 438 cm−1 indicates a decrease in the crystallite size. The reduction in the deep-level emission band with the introduction of Al/Si indicates a decrease in intrinsic defects for the codoped sample. A unique electron paramagnetic resonance signal at g = 1.96 follows the same trend as the green luminescence, and its evolution was shown to probe the oxygen vacancy concentrations. I–V characteristics curve confirm the increase in the conductivity for the codoped samples. To evaluate the role of surface defects, ultraviolet photoresponse behavior as a function of time was also studied, and an increase in the photocurrent was observed. The slow decay and rise in the photocurrent are because of multiple trapping by interstitial defects. A relatively faster response time was observed with the substitution of Al/Si. It has been observed that prepared nanomaterials are suitable for optoelectronic devices.

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Acknowledgments

Saniya Ayaz gratefully acknowledges the financial support received from UGC, New Delhi, under the Maulana Azad National fellowship (No. F1-17.1/2015-16/MANF-2015-17-MAD-49190), and Dr. Vipul Singh is acknowledged for photoluminescence measurements.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Metallurgical Engineering and Material Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Indore, 453552, India

    Saniya Ayaz

  2. Department of Physics, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Sonepat, Haryana, 131039, India

    Neha Sharma

  3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, National Institute of Technology Rourkela, Odisha, 769008, India

    Aditya Dash

  4. Discipline of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, Indore, 453552, India

    Somaditya Sen

  5. Electronic Engineering, Ming Chi University of Technology, New Taipei City, 24301, Taiwan

    Somaditya Sen

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  1. Saniya Ayaz
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Correspondence to Somaditya Sen.

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Ayaz, S., Sharma, N., Dash, A. et al. Effect of Al3+/Si4+ codoping on the structural, optoelectronic and UV sensing properties of ZnO. Journal of Materials Research 35, 1337–1345 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2020.83

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