Epitaxial growth and Ohmic contacts in MgxZn1-xO/TiN/Si(111) heterostructures

In this work, the electronic properties of Mg0.1Zn0.9O/TiN/Si(111) heterostructures processed using pulsed laser deposition were examined. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies demonstrated epitaxial growth of the titanium nitride buffer layer and the Mg0.1Zn0.9O thin film. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated a thin (similar to 5 nm) spinel layer along the magnesium zinc oxide/titanium nitride interface. Current-voltage measurements revealed Ohmic contact behavior through the magnesium zinc oxide/titanium nitride interface. These results suggest that the titanium nitride buffer layer in the MgxZn1-xO/TiN/Si(111) heterostructure provides a buffer layer for integrating magnesium zinc oxide thin films with silicon substrates, which both enable epitaxial growth and serve as an Ohmic electrode for the magnesium zinc oxide thin film.