Abstract
•Formation of an AlZnN semiconductor alloy by reactive sputtering.•Bandgap tuning of Zinc Nitride up to 2.8 eV in AlZnN alloys.•Greatly reduced background doping level in range of 1016 cm−3.•Promising results make AlZnN an attractive alloy system.
The formation of an AlZnN alloy was investigated as a route to tune the bandgap of Zn3N2. A significant shift of the bandgap was observed in the deposited films, increasing from 1.4 eV for Zn3N2 to 2.8 eV for AlZnN alloys with an AlN fraction of × = 0.19. The refractive index followed a similar trend, approaching that of AlN. The charge carrier density of AlZnN samples was significantly reduced reaching values in the order of 1016 cm−3.