Two-dimensional BN-doped ZnO thin-film deposition by a thermionic vacuum arc system

Graphene is an interesting two-dimensional dopant for the electronic, electrochemical, and optoelectronic devices due to its high electron mobility, high electrical, and thermal conductivity, and high optical transparency. Another graphene-like material is boron nitride (BN). h-BN shares similar lattice structure with graphene and many physical properties except large bandgap. In this study, optical, morphological, and structural properties of the two-dimensional BN-doped ZnO thin films have been investigated with various techniques such as UV–Vis spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Two-dimensional BN-doped ZnO thin films were produced onto glass, indium tin oxide-coated glass, and fluorine tin oxide-coated glass using by a Thermionic Vacuum Arc (TVA) deposition technique. The results show that the substrate effect causes the different growth mechanisms for the two-dimensional BN-doped ZnO thin films. It is found that bandgap of ZnO changed drastically and bandgaps of the deposited thin films were found to be 3.96 eV, 3.97 eV, 4.05 eV for two-dimensional BN-doped ZnO thin films deposited onto glass, ITO-coated glass, and FTO-coated glass substrates, respectively. According to the Raman spectra, BN crystal orientations are in hexagonal form in ZnO crystal.