Photoluminescent, morphological and electrical properties of ZrO₂ and ZrO₂:polyvinyl alcohol composite thin films

The authors introduce the sol-gel technique to grow the ZrO₂ and ZrO₂:polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite thin films. For ZrO₂ and ZrO₂:PVA thin films, the photoluminescence and field emission scanning electron microscopy results are compared, indicating that the ZrO₂ agglomeration process is effectively controlled by incorporating PVA, which results in the removal of crystallographic defects. In order to determine the correlation between morphology and performance, the Au/ZrO₂/n-type Si (n-Si) and Au/ZrO₂:PVA/n-Si devices are fabricated and their current-voltage characteristics are obtained. The electrical conduction investigations suggest that the substrate-injection leakage behavior is governed by the space-charge-limited current (thermionic emission-diffusion) for Au/ZrO₂/n-Si (Au/ZrO₂:PVA/n-Si) devices. The incorporation of PVA into ZrO₂ is an important issue for modulating the leakage performance of Au/ZrO₂/n-Si devices.