Alkali doping of Zn$_{\rm x}$Mg$_{\rm 1-x}$O alloys for $p$-type conductivity

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lyons, John L.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866915393818329088
author Lyons, John L.
author_facet Lyons, John L.
contents Nearly all ultrawide-bandgap oxides are affected by hole localization that limits $p$-type conductivity and thus potential applications for these materials. Highly localized holes, also known as hole polarons, trap in the vicinity of acceptor dopants, giving rise to large ionization energies and severely constraining free hole concentrations. Though this hole-trapping behavior affects wurtzite zinc oxide, rocksalt zinc oxide was recently found to be resistant to the formation of hole polarons. Moreover, $p$-type doping using lithium acceptors was predicted to be achievable. While rocksalt zinc oxide is metastable and has a band gap near $\sim$3 eV, here it is found that zinc magnesium oxide (Zn$_{\rm x}$Mg$_{\rm 1-x}$O) alloys remain $p$-type dopable within the stable rocksalt crystal structure, in addition to exhibiting band gaps in excess of 4 eV. As in rocksalt zinc oxide, alkali acceptors are shallow in zinc magnesium oxide and do not appear to be affected by donor compensation. These results indicate that alkali-doped Zn$_{\rm x}$Mg$_{\rm 1-x}$O alloys are a promising system for achieving a $p$-type dopable ultrawide-bandgap oxide.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_12446
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Alkali doping of Zn$_{\rm x}$Mg$_{\rm 1-x}$O alloys for $p$-type conductivity
Lyons, John L.
Materials Science
Nearly all ultrawide-bandgap oxides are affected by hole localization that limits $p$-type conductivity and thus potential applications for these materials. Highly localized holes, also known as hole polarons, trap in the vicinity of acceptor dopants, giving rise to large ionization energies and severely constraining free hole concentrations. Though this hole-trapping behavior affects wurtzite zinc oxide, rocksalt zinc oxide was recently found to be resistant to the formation of hole polarons. Moreover, $p$-type doping using lithium acceptors was predicted to be achievable. While rocksalt zinc oxide is metastable and has a band gap near $\sim$3 eV, here it is found that zinc magnesium oxide (Zn$_{\rm x}$Mg$_{\rm 1-x}$O) alloys remain $p$-type dopable within the stable rocksalt crystal structure, in addition to exhibiting band gaps in excess of 4 eV. As in rocksalt zinc oxide, alkali acceptors are shallow in zinc magnesium oxide and do not appear to be affected by donor compensation. These results indicate that alkali-doped Zn$_{\rm x}$Mg$_{\rm 1-x}$O alloys are a promising system for achieving a $p$-type dopable ultrawide-bandgap oxide.
title Alkali doping of Zn$_{\rm x}$Mg$_{\rm 1-x}$O alloys for $p$-type conductivity
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12446