Doping effects in amorphous oxides

Abstract

Impurity doping of crystalline Si is one of the most striking techniques in semiconductor technology. A rigid and perfect crystalline lattice is prerequisite for effective doping. However, it has been reported to date that introducing a small amount of impurities drastically improves also the properties of amorphous materials. This paper reviews three pronounced doping effects on optical and electrical properties of amorphous oxides; i.e., (i) F-doping of silica glass to improve the vacuum-ultraviolet optical transmission and radiation toughness, (ii) codoping effects on solubility enhancement of rare earth ions in silica glass melt, and (iii) electron-carrier generation in transparent amorphous oxide semiconductors. It is emphasized that effectiveness of electron doping is determined by the magnitude of electron affinity and stabilization energy of a dopant. Importance of the local structure formed around a dopant ion and the location of conduction band minimum measured from the vacuum level is addressed to understand the doping effects in amorphous oxides.