Spinel ZnGa2O4 has received significant attention from researchers due to its wide bandgap and high chemical and thermal stability; hence, paving the way for it to have potential in various applications. This review focuses on its physical, optical, mechanical and electrical properties, contributing to the better understanding of this material. The recent trends for growth techniques and processing in the research and development of ZnGa2O4 from bulk crystal growth to thin films are discussed in detail for device performance. This material has excellent properties and is investigated widely in deep-ultraviolet photodetectors, gas sensors and phosphors. In this article, effects of substrate temperature, annealing temperature, oxygen partial pressure and zinc/gallium ratio are discussed for device processing and fabrication. In addition, research progress and future outlooks are also identified.

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Spinel ZnGa2O4 films were grown on c-plane sapphire substrates at the substrate temperature of 400 °C by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Post thermal annealing was employed at the annealing temperature of 700 °C in order to enhance their crystal quality. The effect of thermal annealing on the microstructural and optoelectronic properties of ZnGa2O4 films was systematically investigated in various ambiences, such as air, nitrogen, and oxygen. The X-ray diffraction patterns of annealed ZnGa2O4 films showed the crystalline structure to have (111) crystallographic planes. Transmission electron micrographs verified that ZnGa2O4 film annealed under air ambience possesses a quasi-single-crystalline structure. This ZnGa2O4 film annealed under air ambience exhibited a smooth surface, an excellent average transmittance above 82% in the visible region, and a wide bandgap of 5.05 eV. The oxygen vacancies under different annealing ambiences were revealed a substantial impact on the material and photodetector characteristics by X-ray photoelectron spectrum investigations. ZnGa2O4 film exhibits optimal performance as a metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector when annealed under air ambience. Under these conditions, ZnGa2O4 film exhibits a higher photo/dark current ratio of ~104 order, as well as a high responsivity of 2.53 A/W at the bias of 5 V under an incident optical light of 240 nm. These results demonstrate that quasi-single-crystalline ZnGa2O4 films have significant potential in deep-ultraviolet applications.

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