This article is cited in 6 papers

Surface, interfaces, thin films

Electrical and gas-sensitive properties of nanostructured SnO$_2$ : ZrO$_2$ semiconductor films

S. I. Rembeza^a, N. N. Kosheleva^a, E. S. Rembeza^a, T. V. Svistova^a, Yu. V. Shmatova^a, Gang Xu<sup>b

a</sup> Voronezh State Technical University
^b Tsinghua University, Beijing, 102201, China

Abstract: The results of a study of the effect of atomic composition of metal-oxide semiconductor composites SnO$_2$ : ZrO$_2$ on the surface morphology, polycrystal grain size, resistivity, concentration, free-carrier mobility, and gas-sensitive properties of thin films (0.5–2.5 $\mu$m) are presented. Films SnO$_2$ with ZrO$_2$ additives (the Zr content was varied from 0.5 to 4.6 at%) are grown by reactive ion-beam sputtering of metal targets of different compositions in a controlled Ar + O$_2$ atmosphere. Using transmission electron microscopy, atomic-force microscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, it is experimentally shown that, as the Zr content increases in the SnO$_2$ : ZrO$_2$ film composition, the polycrystal grain size decreases from 45 to 10 nm, the free-carrier concentration decreases almost by four orders of magnitude and the mobility increases by approximately nine times. As the Zr content increases in the SnO$_2$ : ZrO$_2$ film from 0.5 to 4.6 at%, the temperature of maximum gas sensitivity of films to such gases as ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and acetone decreases by 100–190$^\circ$C.

Received: 10.11.2010
Accepted: 19.11.2010

 English version: Semiconductors, 2011, 45:5, 603–606

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