Photoluminescence of arsenic-doped zinc oxide thin films

Zinc oxide is a very promising material for ultraviolet optoelectronics due to its high band gap of 3.4 eV. However, producing stable p-type zinc oxide has proven elusive for many years. We have successfully grown p-type arsenic-doped zinc oxide thin films using RF magnetron sputtering. We report photoluminescence spectra of arsenic-doped zinc oxide thin films in comparison with undoped zinc oxide crystals, measured with a 266nm femtosecond laser. The presence of arsenic doping is confirmed by shifts in the characteristic emission energies.