The shift of the Fermi level in polycrystalline aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) films was studied by investigating the carrier density dependence of the optical band gap and work function. The optical band gap showed a positive linear relationship with the two-thirds power of carrier density ne2/3. The work function ranged from 4.56 to 4.73 eV and showed a negative linear relationship with ne2/3. These two phenomena are well explained on the basis of Burstein-Moss effect by considering the nonparabolic nature of the conduction band, indicating that the shift of Fermi level exhibits a nonparabolic nature of the conduction band for the polycrystalline AZO film. The variation of work function with the carrier density reveals that the shift of the surface Fermi level can be tailored by the carrier density in the polycrystalline AZO films. The controllability between the work function and the carrier density in polycrystalline AZO films offers great potential advantages in the development of optoelectronic devices.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.