ZnO thin films with stable, tunable electrical and optical properties deposited by atomic layer deposition using Et2Zn:NEtMe2 precursor.

[Display omitted] • Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) Zn precursor, DEZDMEA (Et 2 Zn:NEtMe 2) exhibited durable characteristics. • The ALD-ZnO thin films with no-detectable impurities was successfully synthesized using DEZDMEA and H 2 O. • ALD-ZnO thin films using DEZDMEA precursor showed high growth rate, and controllable electrical and optical properties. • The resistivity map for ALD-ZnO thin films was obtained from 0.02 to 18.75 Ω·cm ZnO thin films were deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD), using Zn precursor, DEZDMEA (Et 2 Zn:NEtMe 2) and H 2 O as a reactant. The design of DEZDMEA aimed to achieve enhanced stability and reduced decomposition compared to traditional DEZ (Et 2 Zn) precursor, as verified through NMR analysis, leading to the ZnO thin films with no-detectable impurities. The growth characteristics of ZnO thin films with the DEZDMEA were systematically evaluated, and high growth rate and the self-limiting reaction were observed. The comparable ZnO growth rate using DEZDMEA with those using DEZ was shown due to the selective removal of one Et and NEtMe 2 ligands during the surface adsorption of DEZDMEA as established by DFT calculations. Additionally, increasing the precursor pulse and reducing the H 2 O pulse time resulted in decreased resistivity of the ZnO thin films, due to the modulation of n-type defects. This approach provided a consistent contour map for achieving stable, reproducible, and tailored resistivity depending on the DEZDMEA pulse time, and H 2 O pulse time with its vapor pressure. Moreover, the optical band gap could be modulated as well. The utilization of DEZDMEA is anticipated to be a robust and effective method in ALD for Zn-related deposition, promising substantial advantages for commercial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]