Precise calibration of Mg concentration in MgxZn1-xO thin films grown on ZnO substrates

The growth techniques for MgxZn1-xO thin films have advanced at a rapid pace in recent years, enabling the application of this material to a wide range of optical and electrical applications. In designing structures and optimizing device performances, it is crucial that the Mg content of the alloy be controllable and precisely determined. In this study, we have established laboratory-based methods to determine the Mg content of MgxZn1-xO thin films grown on ZnO substrates, ranging from the solubility limit of x similar to 0.4 to the dilute limit of x < 0.01. For the absolute determination of Mg content, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy is used for the high Mg region above x = 0.14, while secondary ion mass spectroscopy is employed to quantify low Mg content. As a lab-based method to determine the Mg content, c-axis length is measured by x-ray diffraction and is well associated with Mg content. The interpolation enables the determination of Mg content to x = 0.023, where the peak from the ZnO substrate overlaps the MgxZn1-xO peak in standard laboratory equipment, and thus limits quantitative determination. At dilute Mg contents below x = 0.023, the localized exciton peak energy of the MgxZn1-xO films as measured by photoluminescence is found to show a linear Mg content dependence, which is well resolved from the free exciton peak of ZnO substrate down to x = 0.0043. Our results demonstrate that x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence in combination are appropriate methods to determine Mg content in a wide Mg range from x = 0.004 to 0.40 in a laboratory environment. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4748306]