Microstructure, optical, and electrical properties of p-type SnO thin films

SnO thin films were fabricated by electron beam evaporation on (100) Si and c- and r-plane Al2O3 substrates. The films grown at 25 degrees C are nanocrystalline, while the films grown at 600 degrees C are epitaxial on r-plane Al2O3 and (001) textured on Si and c-plane Al2O3. The SnO films have an optical band gap of 2.82-2.97 eV and p-type conductivity, according to Hall measurements, with resistivities of 0.5-110 cm, hole concentrations of 10(17)-10(19) cm(-3), and Hall mobilities of 0.1-2.6 cm(2)/Vs. The p-type conductivity, which appears to correlate with V-Sn, can be enhanced via Y- and Sb-doping. Defect complexes of Sb-Sn-2V(Sn) are suggested to be the acceptors in Sb-(or Y-) doped SnO films