Controlling the electrical properties of ZnO films by forming zinc and oxide bridges by a plasma and electron-assisted process

Abstract

A new method to produce electrically steady ZnO films without any heating process has been developed by using plasma and electron beams to facilitate bonding between the metallic component and the oxygen on coated ZnO films. Both plasma atmosphere and electron beams can function as sources of nonequilibrium bonding energy, forming bridges between the zinc present in the zinc complex and the oxygen in the ZnO particles to construct a zinc-oxide thin film. Our results confirm that it is possible to achieve low conductive characteristics by controlling the acceleration voltage of electrons used to irradiate the ZnO coating. The electrically steady films fabricated have various potential applications, being particularly well-suited to electrical devices on a plastic medium.