The p-type conduction and Schottky junction of Ag-doped ZnSnN2

X Xing-Min Cai (Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University , Shenzhen 518060,) J Jian-Lin Liang (Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University , Shenzhen 518060,) Q Qian Gao (College of Information Science and Engineering) A Arzoo Hassan (Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University 1 , Shenzhen, Guangdong Province 518060,) U Umer Younis (Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology 2 , Shenzhen, Guangdong Province 518055,) X Xiao-Qing Tian (Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University 1 , Shenzhen, Guangdong Province 518060,) D Dong-Ping Zhang (Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University , Shenzhen 518060,) F Fan Ye

Abstract

The p-type conduction of Ag-doped ZnSnN2 (AZTN) is studied with experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The experimental results show that doping ZnSnN2 with Ag introduces no impurity phase but reduces the optical bandgap. The AZTN samples are p-type conductive with hole density of 1015–1016 cm−3 and the p-type origin is likely the doped Ag atoms which very possibly substitute Zn or Sn in the cation sublattice. These observations are consistent with the DFT calculation. The p-type conduction of the AZTN samples is further revealed by the Ohmic contact to Pt and the Schottky contact to Ag. The latter is demonstrated with the rectifying IV curves and the energy band alignment measured with ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The current transport mechanism of the AZTN\Ag Schottky junction is thermionic emission.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 139, Issue 15
Published April 21, 2026
ISSN 0021-8979
Publisher American Institute of Physics

Journal Info

Journal of Applied Physics

American Institute of Physics

ISSN: 0021-8979 Physical Sciences

Authors (8)

X

Xing-Min Cai

Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University , Shenzhen 518060,

J

Jian-Lin Liang

Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University , Shenzhen 518060,

Q

Qian Gao

College of Information Science and Engineering

A

Arzoo Hassan

Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University 1 , Shenzhen, Guangdong Province 518060,

U

Umer Younis

Department of Chemistry, Southern University of Science and Technology 2 , Shenzhen, Guangdong Province 518055,

X

Xiao-Qing Tian

Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University 1 , Shenzhen, Guangdong Province 518060,

D

Dong-Ping Zhang

Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Thin Films and Applications, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, and State Key Laboratory of Radio Frequency Heterogeneous Integration, Shenzhen University , Shenzhen 518060,

F

Fan Ye