Crystal Structure Evolution of Piezoelectric Fe-Doped ZnO Film by Magnetron Co-Sputtering Technique

Zinc oxide (ZnO) exhibits piezoelectric properties due to its asymmetric structure, making it suitable for piezoelectric devices. This experiment deposited Fe-doped ZnO films on silicon substrates using a dual-target magnetron co-sputtering system. The films achieved a high c-axis orientation, and the piezoelectric coefficient of the film reached its optimal value of 44.35 pC/N when doped with 0.5 at% of Fe. This value is approximately three times that of undoped ZnO films with a piezoelectric coefficient of 13.04 pC/N. The study utilized a diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy to evaluate the crystal structure evolution of the zinc oxide films and employed X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to assess the valence state of the Fe ions.