Characterization of ZnO and ZnO:Al films deposited by MOCVD on oriented and amorphous substrates

Zinc oxide (ZnO) and ZnO:Al-doped films were deposited by metal organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) using the Zn(tta)2·tmeda (H-tta=2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone, tmeda=N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylethylendiamine) and Al(acac)3 (H-acac=acetylacetone) precursors on different substrates. The deposited layers were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Film structure is strongly dependent on the substrate nature and deposition conditions. AFM and XRD measurements show a good film texture and a preferential orientation along the c-axis. The Al concentration of ZnO:Al film has been confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Optical transparency of these ZnO layers has been studied in order to evaluate their applications as a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) material.