Research of deposition condition and structural properties of Nd-doped ZnO thin films grown by RF magnetron sputtering

The ZnO thin film and Nd-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on Si(111) substrate by RF magnetron sputtering technique.The relationships of microstructure,surface morphology and orientation of Nd-doped ZnO films with the deposition parameters,such as substrate temperature,oxygen partial pressure,and Nd-contents were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD) and atomic force microscopy(AFM).It is found that the orientation and microstructure of Nd-doped ZnO thin films are strongly affected by the deposition temperature and oxygen partial pressure and Nd-contents.Therefore,the various deposition conditions are further investigated and compared in detail to obtain the sputtering conditions: the substrate temperature of 300℃,Ar sputtering gases,the annealing temperature of 400℃.An Nd-doped ZnO thin films with high c-axis orientation are realized.