%0 Journal Article
%T Quantum Effects of Indium/Ytterbium Doping on ZnO-Like Nano-Condensed Matter in terms of Urbach-Martienssen and Wemple-DiDomenico Single-Oscillator Models Parameters
%A A. Boukhachem
%A B. Ouni
%A A. Bouzidi
%A A. Amlouk
%A K. Boubaker
%A M. Bouhafs
%A M. Amlouk
%J ISRN Condensed Matter Physics
%D 2012
%R 10.5402/2012/738023
%X Conducting and transparent optical ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by a simple mini spray technique. Alternatively, some of the obtained films were doped with indium and ytterbium at the molar rates of: 1, 2, and 3% (In) and 100, 200, and 300£¿ppm (Yb). In addition to the classical structural investigations including XRD, microhardness vickers (Hv), and optothermal techniques, thorough optical measurements have been carried out for comparison purposes. The refractive indices and the extinction coefficients of the differently doped layers have been deduced from their transmission-reflection spectra over an extended wavelength range. Analysis of the refractive index data through Wemple-DiDomenico single oscillator model yielded quantum characteristics along with the values of long-wavelength dielectric constant, average oscillator wavelength, average oscillator strength, average oscillator energy and dispersion energy. Real and imaginary parts of dielectric constant have also been used to calculate free carrier plasma resonance frequency, optical relaxation time, and free carriers concentration-to-effective mass ratio. Finally, analysis of Urbach-Martienssen model parameters allowed proposing nanoscale explanations to the divergence about doping-related evolution of Urbach tails, this intriguing item having been intensively discussed in the literature in the last decades. 1. Introduction Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) such as tin oxides and indium-doped oxide systems have been used in several optoelectronic devices such as gas sensors, panel displays [1, 2], and photovoltaic solar cells (PVCs). Among these oxides, zinc oxide has attracted considerable attention from those interested in the application to devices working in ultraviolet regions, with the interest specially lying in its wide bandgap, quantum confinement effects in accessible size ranges, and large exciton binding energy (¡Ö60£¿meV) [1, 2]. It has been recorded that zinc oxide is a hexagonal wurtzite structured semiconductor with high piezoelectric and gas-detecting properties [1¨C6]. Its deposition on glass-like substrates has been widely experimented and applied [7¨C11]. On the other hand, many doping elements for ZnO have been tried [12¨C15]. In some studies, the merits of indium and aluminium as effective doping agents have been pointed out [16¨C19]. In this work, explanations to the paradoxical effects of indium and ytterbium doping on ZnO crystalline structure are proposed. The elaborating techniques and doping protocols have been detailed along with common
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.cmp/2012/738023/