Band offset engineering to improve electrical transport properties of p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode

Zia-ul-Mustafa; Kashif Javaid; Rimsha Anjum; Adnan Ali; Khalid Mahmood; Nasir Amin; M. S. Al-Buriahi; Khadijah Mohammedsaleh Katubi; Z. A. Alrowaili; Umair Shehzad; Hira Anwar; Maleeha Saleem; Zukhraf Rasheed; Hammad Waheed; Zohaib Afzal; Muhammad Yasir Ali

doi:10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179281

Band offset engineering to improve electrical transport properties of p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode

Zia-ul-Mustafa, Kashif Javaid^*, Rimsha Anjum, Adnan Ali, Khalid Mahmood, Nasir Amin, M. S. Al-Buriahi, Khadijah Mohammedsaleh Katubi, Z. A. Alrowaili, Umair Shehzad, Hira Anwar, Maleeha Saleem, Zukhraf Rasheed, Hammad Waheed, Zohaib Afzal, Muhammad Yasir Ali

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Wide-bandgap transparent metal oxides (TMOs) are considered as a promising class of materials mainly due to fast-growing demand of all oxide inorganic heterostructures for various optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices at relatively low cost. Present work deals with the synthesis of transparent pn-heterojunction (NiO/ZnO) where the mechanism of carrier injection, transportation and accumulation in type-II (staggered gap) heterojunction was monitored through band offset engineering. The process of thermal oxidation was carried out to obtain high quality oxide film at optimum conditions. Furthermore, the phenomenon of electrical conduction coupled with generation and recombination was elucidated through energy band diagram. The heterojunction diode with architecture design (Al/NiO/ZnO/ITO) exhibited a highest forward-to-reverse current ratio of ∼162.44 at ± 12.82 V, turn-on voltage of 1.1 V along with an ideality factor of 1.29 and a series resistance of 15.51Ω. The proposed thin film based pn-heterostructure may lead to realize the next-generation low cost transparent optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices even on flexible substrates.

Original language	English
Article number	179281
Journal	Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Volume	1018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179281
State	Published - 5 Mar 2025
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

Electrical transport properties
Energy band diagram
Heterostructure diode
P-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction
Thermal oxidation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Mechanics of Materials
Mechanical Engineering
Metals and Alloys
Materials Chemistry

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179281

Cite this

Zia-ul-Mustafa, Javaid, K., Anjum, R., Ali, A., Mahmood, K., Amin, N., Al-Buriahi, M. S., Katubi, K. M., Alrowaili, Z. A., Shehzad, U., Anwar, H., Saleem, M., Rasheed, Z., Waheed, H., Afzal, Z., & Ali, M. Y. (2025). Band offset engineering to improve electrical transport properties of p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 1018, Article 179281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179281

@article{0a8e3ec50f6d4b9ab5807d6650264256,

title = "Band offset engineering to improve electrical transport properties of p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode",

abstract = "Wide-bandgap transparent metal oxides (TMOs) are considered as a promising class of materials mainly due to fast-growing demand of all oxide inorganic heterostructures for various optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices at relatively low cost. Present work deals with the synthesis of transparent pn-heterojunction (NiO/ZnO) where the mechanism of carrier injection, transportation and accumulation in type-II (staggered gap) heterojunction was monitored through band offset engineering. The process of thermal oxidation was carried out to obtain high quality oxide film at optimum conditions. Furthermore, the phenomenon of electrical conduction coupled with generation and recombination was elucidated through energy band diagram. The heterojunction diode with architecture design (Al/NiO/ZnO/ITO) exhibited a highest forward-to-reverse current ratio of ∼162.44 at ± 12.82 V, turn-on voltage of 1.1 V along with an ideality factor of 1.29 and a series resistance of 15.51Ω. The proposed thin film based pn-heterostructure may lead to realize the next-generation low cost transparent optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices even on flexible substrates.",

keywords = "Electrical transport properties, Energy band diagram, Heterostructure diode, P-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction, Thermal oxidation",

author = "Zia-ul-Mustafa and Kashif Javaid and Rimsha Anjum and Adnan Ali and Khalid Mahmood and Nasir Amin and Al-Buriahi, \{M. S.\} and Katubi, \{Khadijah Mohammedsaleh\} and Alrowaili, \{Z. A.\} and Umair Shehzad and Hira Anwar and Maleeha Saleem and Zukhraf Rasheed and Hammad Waheed and Zohaib Afzal and Ali, \{Muhammad Yasir\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2025 Elsevier B.V.",

year = "2025",

month = mar,

day = "5",

doi = "10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179281",

language = "English",

volume = "1018",

journal = "Journal of Alloys and Compounds",

issn = "0925-8388",

}

Zia-ul-Mustafa, Javaid, K, Anjum, R, Ali, A, Mahmood, K, Amin, N, Al-Buriahi, MS, Katubi, KM, Alrowaili, ZA, Shehzad, U, Anwar, H, Saleem, M, Rasheed, Z, Waheed, H, Afzal, Z & Ali, MY 2025, 'Band offset engineering to improve electrical transport properties of p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode', Journal of Alloys and Compounds, vol. 1018, 179281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179281

TY - JOUR

T1 - Band offset engineering to improve electrical transport properties of p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode

AU - Zia-ul-Mustafa,

AU - Javaid, Kashif

AU - Anjum, Rimsha

AU - Ali, Adnan

AU - Mahmood, Khalid

AU - Amin, Nasir

AU - Al-Buriahi, M. S.

AU - Katubi, Khadijah Mohammedsaleh

AU - Alrowaili, Z. A.

AU - Shehzad, Umair

AU - Anwar, Hira

AU - Saleem, Maleeha

AU - Rasheed, Zukhraf

AU - Waheed, Hammad

AU - Afzal, Zohaib

AU - Ali, Muhammad Yasir

PY - 2025/3/5

Y1 - 2025/3/5

N2 - Wide-bandgap transparent metal oxides (TMOs) are considered as a promising class of materials mainly due to fast-growing demand of all oxide inorganic heterostructures for various optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices at relatively low cost. Present work deals with the synthesis of transparent pn-heterojunction (NiO/ZnO) where the mechanism of carrier injection, transportation and accumulation in type-II (staggered gap) heterojunction was monitored through band offset engineering. The process of thermal oxidation was carried out to obtain high quality oxide film at optimum conditions. Furthermore, the phenomenon of electrical conduction coupled with generation and recombination was elucidated through energy band diagram. The heterojunction diode with architecture design (Al/NiO/ZnO/ITO) exhibited a highest forward-to-reverse current ratio of ∼162.44 at ± 12.82 V, turn-on voltage of 1.1 V along with an ideality factor of 1.29 and a series resistance of 15.51Ω. The proposed thin film based pn-heterostructure may lead to realize the next-generation low cost transparent optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices even on flexible substrates.

AB - Wide-bandgap transparent metal oxides (TMOs) are considered as a promising class of materials mainly due to fast-growing demand of all oxide inorganic heterostructures for various optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices at relatively low cost. Present work deals with the synthesis of transparent pn-heterojunction (NiO/ZnO) where the mechanism of carrier injection, transportation and accumulation in type-II (staggered gap) heterojunction was monitored through band offset engineering. The process of thermal oxidation was carried out to obtain high quality oxide film at optimum conditions. Furthermore, the phenomenon of electrical conduction coupled with generation and recombination was elucidated through energy band diagram. The heterojunction diode with architecture design (Al/NiO/ZnO/ITO) exhibited a highest forward-to-reverse current ratio of ∼162.44 at ± 12.82 V, turn-on voltage of 1.1 V along with an ideality factor of 1.29 and a series resistance of 15.51Ω. The proposed thin film based pn-heterostructure may lead to realize the next-generation low cost transparent optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices even on flexible substrates.

KW - Electrical transport properties

KW - Energy band diagram

KW - Heterostructure diode

KW - P-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction

KW - Thermal oxidation

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85217935494

U2 - 10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179281

DO - 10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.179281

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85217935494

SN - 0925-8388

VL - 1018

JO - Journal of Alloys and Compounds

JF - Journal of Alloys and Compounds

M1 - 179281

ER -

Band offset engineering to improve electrical transport properties of p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction diode

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Fingerprint

Cite this