Preparation And Properties Of Nb-doped And Nb-Al Codoped Zinc Oxide Targets

With the development of science and technology,the role of transparent conductive materials in flat panel displays,solar cells,gas sensors,and anti-fog windows has become increasingly prominent.At present,the most widely used is indium tin oxide?ITO?materials,but indium resources are scarce,and the price is expensive.Therefore,the development of non-In materials with conductive and light transmission characteristics has become one of the research hotspots.Due to the fact that zinc oxide-based transparent conductive materials are rich in resources,non-toxic to the environment,and stable in hydrogen plasma,they have considerable advantages in development.Therefore,it is more and more important to study the comprehensive performance of doped materials that use zinc oxide as a precursor.At present,domestic and foreign scholars have a keen interest in the research of zinc oxide-based transparent conductive films.However,there are few studies on zinc oxide-based ceramic targets.High-quality zinc oxide ceramic targets are the key to the preparation of high-quality films.In this paper,Niobium doped zinc oxide?NZO?targets were prepared from zinc oxide doped with Nb₂O₅.On this basis,alumina was further doped to prepare niobium-aluminum co-doped zinc oxide?NAZO?targets.The sintering temperature and doping amount were studied separately.The effect of the sintering atmosphere on the zinc oxide target was followed by a preliminary study of NZO and NAZO films.The results obtained are as follows:?1?Nb₂O₅ can reduce the sintering temperature and increase the density and conductivity of zinc oxide ceramic target.When sintered at 1200?,the relative density of undoped ZnO target is 94.88%.After doping with 0.05 wt.%Nb₂O₅,the relative density increased to 99.11%,the bending strength reached 123.32 MPa,and the resistivity decreased to 10.90?·cm.?2?For n-type doping of zinc oxide materials,the resistivity and sintering temperature of the zinc oxide target sintered in an argon atmosphere have a significant decrease,especially when the resistivity of the target decreases most obviously.When the sintering temperature is1150?,the relative density of 0.05 wt.%NZO target is 99.01%,the bending strength is 88.41MPa,and the resistivity is 0.03?·cm.?3?Using the NZO target fired in argon,the preparation of NZO film resistivity as1.21×10^-3?·cm,film visible light transmittance over 92%.?4?Studies have shown that doping an appropriate amount of alumina can further improve the conductivity of the NAZO target,but with the increase of the amount of alumina doping,the presence of ZnAl₂O₄ particles in the NAZO target hinders the migration of grain boundaries,resulting in a gradual decrease in the relative density of the target.when the sintering temperature is 1350?and the alumina doping amount is 1 wt.%,the relative density of the prepared NAZO target is 98.94%,the bending strength is 89.52 MPa,and the resistivity is 0.03?·cm.?5?The NAZO target sintered in argon gas is sintered at a lower temperature,which can achieve higher density and lower resistivity.As the temperature increases,the density,strength,and resistivity of the target material decrease.After analysis,when the sintering temperature is 1300?and the alumina doping amount is 1 wt.%,the relative density of the prepared NAZO target is 98.40%,the bending strength is 93.75 MPa,and the resistivity is2.80×10^-3?·cm.The overall performance is better.?6?We use a self-made NAZO target and a transparent conductive film of NAZO prepared by PLD technology.The film resistivity is 4.62×10^-3?·cm,and the visible light transmittance is above 90%.