Electron beam synthesis, structure and properties of single-component and magnesium doped zinc oxide coatings

Specific features of electron-beam deposition, structure and properties of ZnO and Zn$_x$Mg$_{1-x}$O coatings with the use of mechanical mixtures of powders of zinc acetate, metallic zinc, and magnesium as a target are established. It is shown that the use of laser radiation, which assists the electron-beam evaporation of zinc acetate, and the subsequent heat treatment make it possible to deposit highly dispersed thin coatings based on ZnO with stable values of the band gap. In this case, the use of assisting radiation with wavelength 266 nm due to the photochemical decomposition of the salt initiates the formation of less dispersed oxide phases. The introduction of magnesium into the composition of coatings does not noticeably change their molecular structure and leads to an insignificant increase in the band gap. Based on the data obtained, it was concluded that the formation of oxide phases was predominantly independent under the studied synthesis conditions and that the content of solid solutions in the coating composition was insignificant.