Non-equilibrium origin of high electrical conductivity in gallium zinc oxide thin films

Andriy Zakutayev*, Nicola H. Perry, Thomas O. Mason, David S. Ginley, Stephan Lany

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

52 Scopus citations

Abstract

Non-equilibrium state defines physical properties of materials in many technologies, including architectural, metallic, and semiconducting amorphous glasses. In contrast, crystalline electronic and energy materials, such as transparent conductive oxides (TCO), are conventionally thought to be in equilibrium. Here, we demonstrate that high electrical conductivity of crystalline Ga-doped ZnO TCO thin films occurs by virtue of metastable state of their defects. These results imply that such defect metastability may be important in other functional oxides. This finding emphasizes the need to understand and control non-equilibrium states of materials, in particular, their metastable defects, for the design of novel functional materials.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number232106
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume103
Issue number23
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2 2013

Funding

This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308 to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The theoretical calculations and the thin film experiments were supported by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Solar Energy Technology Program. The in-situ van der Pauw measurements were supported by the Office of Science, Basic Energy Science Program, as a part of the Energy Frontier Research Center “Center for Inverse Design”. Useful discussions with P. F. Ndione, A. Adler, and J. D. Perkins are gratefully acknowledged.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)

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