Synthesis of Sn-ZnO nanostructures on MgO<0001> by hybrid pulsed laser ablation and RF magnetron sputtering tandem system for CO gas-sensing application

An exceptional method of incorporating Sn ions into Zinc Oxide (ZnO) using a tandem system of Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) and Radio-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering (RFMS) to synthesize and functionalize ZnO nanostructures is demonstrated in this study for gas-sensing application. The RFMS power was varied up to 50 W to sputter a pure Sn metal target, while simultaneously or successively growing ZnO nanostructures on a templated MgO < 0001 > substrate and on an Au-plated Al₂O₃ gas sensor, via PLD process at the substrate temperature of 700 °C in 100–500 millitorr oxygen/argon gas background. The morphologies of the grown Sn-ZnO nanostructures were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and while their chemical/oxidation states and optical properties were analyzed by X-ray photospectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL), respectively. For simultaneous deposition, the resulting (0002)-dominated 2D grain-like ZnO nanostructures were influenced by the interaction of the dynamic PLD plasma with static RFMS plasma at different powers. For successive growth, at 50 W-RF power, a remarkable increase in the sensor response to 50-ppm carbon monoxide (CO) gas was observed at 250 °C, which could be attributed to the creation of more adsorption sites in the Sn-ZnO depletion region caused by the replacement of some Zn sites with Sn ions in the ZnO matrix. This study, therefore, exhibits the viability of this hybrid system to design, synthesize, and functionalize Sn-ZnO nanomaterials, either by simultaneous/successive deposition, for gas-sensing applications.