Degenerated MgZnO films obtained by excessive zinc

By introducing excessive zinc during the growth process, degenerated Mg0.46Zn0.54O films have been prepared. The resistivity of the Mg0.46Zn0.54O films is only 0.053 Ω cm, and the electron concentration is 1.0×1019 cm−3, which is well above the Mott concentration of ZnO (2.9×1018 cm−3). The origin of such a high electron concentration can be attributed to the excessive zinc in the films. The results reported in this paper provide a route to conductive degenerated MgZnO films, thus may lay a ground for the fabrication of ZnO-based heterostructures or deep ultraviolet optoelectronic devices.

► Mg0.46Zn0.54O films with a large bandgap of about 4.344 eV have been prepared.
► Electron concentration of the Mg0.46Zn0.54O films can reach 1.0×1019 cm−3.
► Origin of such a high electron concentration can be attributed to excessive zinc.
► Hall measurement indicates that the Mg0.46Zn0.54O films are degenerated.