Amorphous nitride semiconductors with highly tunable optical and electronic properties: the benefits of disorder in Ca–Zn–N thin films

Abstract

Semiconducting ternary nitrides are a promising class of materials that have received increasing attention in recent years, but often show high free electron concentrations due to the low defect formation energies of nitrogen vacancies and substitutional oxygen, leading to degenerate n-type doping. To achieve non-degenerate behavior, we now investigate a family of amorphous calcium–zinc nitride (Ca–Zn–N) thin films. By adjusting the metal cation ratios, we demonstrate band gap tunability between 1.4 and 2.0 eV and control over the charge carrier concentration across six orders of magnitude, all while maintaining high mobilities between 5 and 70 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. The combination of favorable electronic properties, low synthesis temperatures, and earth-abundant elements makes amorphous Ca–Zn–N highly promising for future sustainable electronics. Moreover, the successful synthesis of such materials, as well as their broad optical and electrical tunability, paves the way for a new class of tailored functional materials: amorphous nitride semiconductors – ANSs.