Cobalt Doping as the Controlling Factor of Oxygen Diffusivity in ZnO by More than Four Orders of Magnitude

Abstract

Oxygen diffusivity in ZnO ceramics doped with cobalt was investigated using an isotope tracer method. The oxygen isotope (18O) was introduced by 18O/16O exchange annealing in an 18O2 atmosphere, and the depth profile of the 18O concentration was analyzed by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The results show that oxygen diffusivity in ZnO steeply increases with increasing Co concentration. In fact, the bulk oxygen diffusivity in 15 mol% Co-doped ZnO was four orders of magnitude greater than that of nominally non-doped ZnO. Oxygen diffusivity at grain boundaries was also enhanced by Co-doping.