Characterization of pyramidal inversion boundaries in Sb2O3-doped ZnO by using electron back-scattered diffraction...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid-State Chemistry
• Crystallography

Background:

• Zinc oxide (ZnO) ceramics are widely used in electronic components.
• Understanding defects like inversion boundaries is key to optimizing ZnO properties.
• Antimony trioxide (Sb2O3) is used as a dopant in ZnO ceramics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To crystallographically characterize the composition planes of inversion boundaries in Sb2O3-doped ZnO ceramics.
• To elucidate the atomic structure of defects influencing ceramic properties.

Main Methods:

• Electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis was employed for high-resolution crystallographic orientation mapping.
• Stereographic projection techniques were utilized to analyze the orientation data and identify crystallographic planes.

Main Results:

• The inversion boundary was determined to consist of three distinct composition planes.
• The identified planes are {0001}, {1011}, and {1010}.

Conclusions:

• The study precisely defines the crystallographic nature of inversion boundaries in doped ZnO.
• This detailed structural information is vital for predicting and controlling the electrical and optical properties of ZnO ceramics.