ZnO-Based Materials: From Pauli’s Nonsense to a Key Enabling Technology

In this work, we aim to highlight the increasing interest in semiconductors, particularly ZnO. A revision of the evolution of the scientific production on three selected topics has been conducted. As an indicator of scientific production, the number of publications indexed in the Web of Science Data Base has been used. The search terms selected range from the general to the particular: semiconductors, oxide semiconductors, and ZnO. The period considered is from 1 January 1900 to 6 June 2023. The importance of doping processes in tailoring the properties of these materials, and the relevance of the most recently derived applications are also revised. Since many of the most recent applications that have been developed or are under development refer to optoelecronic properties, doping with rare earth elements has a central role. This was the reason behind choosing the system ZnO doped with Rare Earth elements (Eu, Gd, and Ce) and codoped with Ru to illustrate the materials’ tuning potential of doping processes. Morphology, crystal structure, and luminescent properties have been investigated. Upon doping, both the Near Band Edge and the Deep Level emissions show a remarkable difference due to the change in the relative weight of the components constituting these bands. The spectra in all cases extend over the whole visible range, with a main emission in the violet-blue region corresponding to the Near Band Edge, and a broad band extending from the blue-green to orange-red region associated with the presence of different defects.