Robust Stability of Optical and Electronic Properties of Gallium‐Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films to Gamma Ray Irradiation.

Through combined measurements of broadband optical spectroscopy (10 meV to 6 eV), electrical resistivity, and Hall effect, the effects of gamma ray irradiation on electronic and optical properties of gallium‐doped ZnO (GZO) thin films, deposited by ion plating direct‐current arc discharge, are investigated. A significant number of films, deposited at various discharge currents (ID = 100–200 A) and oxygen gas flow rates (OFR = 0–25 sccm), exposed to doses of 15 and 30 kGy of gamma rays, are studied. The results indicate strong resilience of films to irradiation: visible range transparency is reduced by 10–12% and the optical bandgap shifts to lower energies by less than 3%, while electrical resistivity, carrier concentration, and electron mobility remain nearly unchanged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]