Effects of substrate on surface morphology, crystallinity, and photoluminescence properties of sputtered ZnO nano films

Effects of substrate on crystallinity, surface morphology, and luminescence properties of radio frequency sputtered zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were investigated. A variety of materials such as Si (100), Si (111), Al₂O₃, quartz, and silicon carbide (SiC) wafers were examined as substrates for deposition of ZnO thin films. The results showed smooth and uniform growth of c-axis orientation films. The thickness of the layers was about 50 nm. The average grain sizes of films were about 10, 13, and 12 nm for Si (111), quartz, and SiC samples, respectively. The deposited film on Al₂O₃ showed the largest grain size, about 500 nm. Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction patterns of the samples revealed that sputtered layers on Al₂O₃ and quartz had better crystallinity with higher peak at (002) orientation compared to Si and SiC substrates. Moreover, the Al₂O₃ sample exhibited a weak peak at position of (100) planes of ZnO too. The photoluminescence spectra of the samples showed a typical luminescence behavior with a broad UV band, including a main peak at around 388 nm and a weak shoulder peak at around 381 nm, corresponding with bound excitonic recombination and free excitonic recombination, respectively. The luminescence peak revealed that the intensity of UV emission is not necessarily dependent on the grain sizes and the micro-structural quality of ZnO films.     

Influence of size effect and sputtering conditions on the crystallinity and optical properties of ZnO thin films

The effects of the thickness variation, substrate type and annealing on the crystallinity parameters, luminescent and optical properties of the zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were reported. The thin films were deposited on the glass and the amorphous quartz substrates by the standard RF-magnetron sputtering method using ZnO targets in the argon atmosphere. It has been found that the films deposited on the glass substrate manifest a clear size effect. Both the structural and the optical parameters show clearly minima on their thickness dependences. It has been shown that annealing of the comparatively thick ZnO films leads to increase of the crystallite sizes that are followed by a considerable rise of the cathodoluminescence intensity. The corresponding model of the crystallite growth is proposed.     

Enhancement of surface morphology and optical properties of nanocolumnar ZnO films

Nanocolumnar ZnO films were prepared by electrodeposition (ED) on a glass substrate covered with a conductive layer of thin oxide doped with fluorine (FTO). After deposition the samples were annealed in oxidizing or reducing atmosphere, at temperatures between 100 to 500 C, in order to follow the evolution of optical properties and morphology. The optical properties of these films were studied by means of photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and the morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Films annealed at 300 C exhibit a higher ultraviolet emission peak, originating from exciton transitions. A green band related to deep-level emission centered at 500 nm, shows a drastic increase at 500 C. These results are independent of the annealing atmosphere. An increase of coalescence is also observed after annealing at 500 C. These results are explained taking into account the contribution of different point defects.     

Galvanic deposition of ZnO nanorods and thermal annealing effects on their optical properties

The effects of NaCl electrolyte concentrations in the range 6-48 mM on the galvanic deposition of ZnO in Zn(Ac)₂ electrolyte is presented. Effects of thermal annealing on their structural and optical properties have been investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis and photoluminescence (PL). The results show that the increase of NaCl electrolyte concentration not only results in the increase of the diameter of ZnO nanorods, but also promotes the blue-shift of UV emission of ZnO. After air annealing at 200 °C, 300 °C and 400 °C, the UV emission is first enhanced then quenched sharply, while the visible emission tends to be enhanced tremendously. It can be ascribed to the new defect states introduced in ZnO after annealing at high temperature.     

Comparative research on the optical properties of three surface patterning ZnO ordered arrays

We fabricate three surface patterning zinc oxide(ZnO) ordered arrays on glass substrates by using nanosphere lithography technique and dc magnetron sputtering technique. The crescent, tube and honeycomb surface morphologies of the samples are observed by scanning electron microscopy. The transmittance, fluorescence and confocal Raman spectra of the sample are measured. Obviously, when the angle between the plume and the substrate is 90?, the honeycomb arrays have a better transmission. Additionally, the PL intensity of honeycomb arrays is superior. With the increasing of the angle between the substrate and the sputtering plume, the fluorescence peak shows blue shift. The Raman peak located at438 cm-1belongs to ZnO E2(high) mode, which corresponds to the characteristic band of the hexagonal wurtzite phase.The tube arrays have the best Raman spectrum intensity.     

Low energy oxygen implantation induced improved crystallinity and optical properties of surface modified ZnO single crystals

We report on the low energy oxygen implantation induced improvement in crystallinity and optical properties of surface modified ZnO single crystals. Undoped ZnO (0 0 0 1) single crystal wafers are implanted with 100 keV oxygen ions at a dose of 5 × 10¹³ and 5 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² and subsequently annealed at 500 and 600 °C in oxygen ambient. The as-implanted and annealed ZnO wafers are studied by Rutherford back scattering spectrometry (RBS), channeling, Raman, photoluminescence (PL), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Channeling studies show a relatively high χ_min (>20%) in the virgin ZnO wafer. After implantation and two-step annealing, RBS studies show improved crystallinity. Raman line width analysis for the mode indicates reduction in strain in the annealed samples as compared to the virgin ZnO wafer. As-implanted samples show drastic quenching of the near band-edge (NBE) PL band due to defects created by the implantation. However, after two-step annealing, the low-dose implanted sample show a five-fold increase in intensity ratio of NBE band (376 nm) to defect related broad band (∼530 nm) at room temperature. Implantation induced changes in the composition and improved crystallinity in the near surface region is accounted for the major improvement in the PL emission.     

Rapid thermal annealing effects on the structural and optical properties of ZnO films deposited on Si substrates

The structural and optical properties of ZnO films deposited on Si substrate following rapid thermal annealing (RTA) have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. After RTA treatment, the XRD spectra have shown an effective relaxation of the residual compressive stress, an increase of the intensity and narrowing of the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the (0 0 2) diffraction peak of the as-grown ZnO film. AFM images show roughening of the film surface due to increase of grain size after RTA. The PL spectrum reveals a significant improvement in the UV luminescence of ZnO films following RTA at 800 °C for 1 min.     

Effects of deposition temperatures and annealing conditions on the microstructural, electrical and optical properties of polycrystalline Al-doped ZnO thin films

Al-doped ZnO (AZO, ZnO:Al₂O₃ = 98:2 wt%) films are deposited on different substrates by an RF magnetron sputtering and subsequently annealed at three different conditions to investigate the microstructural, electrical, and optical properties. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope results show that all the samples are polycrystalline and the samples rapid-thermal-annealed at 900 °C in an N₂ ambient contain larger grains compared to the furnace-annealed samples. It is shown that the sample deposited at room temperature on the sapphire gives a resistivity of 5.57 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm when furnace-annealed at 500 °C in a mixture of N₂:H₂ (9:1). It is also shown that the Hall mobility vs. carrier concentration (μ-n) relation is divided into two groups, depending on the annealing conditions, namely, either rapid-thermal annealing or furnace annealing. The relations are described in terms of either grain boundary scattering or ionized impurity scattering mechanism. In addition, the samples produce fairly high transmittance of 91-96.99% across the wavelength region of 400-1100 nm. The optical bandgaps of the samples increase with increasing carrier concentration.     

Effect of the annealing environment on the optical properties of ZnO/GaAs grown by MOCVD

The optical properties of ZnO grown on (1 0 0) GaAs substrate using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition are investigated by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Postgrowth annealing in nitrogen and oxygen was performed for different times and temperatures in order to incorporate As from the substrate into the ZnO thin films. The PL spectra of the samples annealed in different ambients reveal that the effect of As diffusion into the ZnO thin films is more pronounced when the annealing is performed in oxygen at 550 °C. The 11 K PL spectra show the appearance of a transition at ∼3.35 eV after annealing in oxygen at 550 °C for 1 h. A further increase in the annealing temperature leads to the disappearance of this line, while for annealing times longer than 2 h at 550 °C, it is no longer prominent. The increase in intensity of this new transition is also accompanied by the enhancement of radiative centers related to structural defects, such as the stacking fault-related transition at 3.31 eV and the Y-line. Temperature dependent PL illustrates the excitonic nature of the new transition at ∼3.35 eV, which is therefore assigned to (A⁰, X) transition, where the acceptor is possibly the 2V_Zn-As_Zn complex, with an activation energy E_A in the range of 160-240 meV. Furthermore, the enhancement of the radiative centers related to structural defects is regarded as evidence that As atoms tend to segregate in the vicinity of structural defects to relieve local strain.     

Effects of annealing temperature on morphologies and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures

The effects of annealing temperature on the morphologies and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures synthesized by sol–gel method were investigated in detail. The SEM results showed that uniform ZnO nanorods formed at 900 C. The PL results showed an ultraviolet emission peak and a relatively broad visible light emission peak for all ZnO nanostructures sintered at different temperature. The increase of the crystal size and decrease of tensile stress resulted in the UV emission peak shifted from 386 to 389 nm when annealing temperature rose from 850 to 1000 C. The growth mechanism of the ZnO nanorods is discussed.     

The influence of annealing temperature on the structure,morphologies and optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles

ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully synthesized by the simple solution method at low temperature. The effects of annealing temperature on the structure and optical properties of ZnO NPs were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. As the annealing temperature was increased above 180 ^°C the particles morphology evolved from spherical to hexagonal shape, indicating that the average particle size increased from 11 nm to 87 nm. The UV-vis and PL spectra showed a red-shift from 3.62 to 3.33 eV when the annealing temperature was increased.     

ZnO nanorods: morphology control, optical properties, and nanodevice applications

Research interest in ZnO nanostructures derives from their excellent luminescent properties and availability of low cost fabricating and processing, which hold promise for the development of electronic and optoelectronic nanodevices. In this review, we focus on the progress in synthesis, properties and nanodevices of ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays and nanotetrapods (NTPs). Recent work done by the authors are also presented. After a brief introduction to the controlled fabrication methods for the highly-ordered ZnO NR arrays and NTPs, we present some aspects of the fundamental properties, especially optical performance, of ZnO NRs/NTPs. Then, we provide an overview of the applications to functional nanodevices based on individual NR and NTP of ZnO. It is demonstrated that different morphologies of ZnO nanostructures have salient effects on their properties and applications. Although much progress has been achieved in the fundamental and applied investigations of ZnO NRs/NTPs over the past decade, many obstacles still remain, hampering further development in this field. Finally, some longstanding problems that warrant further investigation are addressed.     

Effects of annealing on structural,optical and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO thin films

Transparent conducting oxide (TCO) thin films such as SnO2, In2O3, and Cd2SnO4, have been used extensively as sensor devices, surface acoustic wave devices, coating to heat glass windows and transparent electrodes for solid state display devices, solar cells[1,2] because of their high optical transparency in the visible range, infrared reflec-tance and low d.c. resistivity. Although SnO2 film was developed early, nowadays Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) films are the predominant TCO thin film in …     

Effect of annealing on the optical and electrical properties of ZnO:Er films

The effect of dopant concentration and annealing in the oxidizing atmosphere on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of ZnO:Er films deposited on sapphire substrates by the electron-beam evaporation method is investigated. The optical and electrical properties of these films were studied by UV-VIS-IR absorption and reflection spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and resistivity measurements. Experimental results reveal that as-deposited ZnO:Er films have both high transmittance in the visible range and low electrical resistivity and can be used as efficient transparent conducting oxides (TCOs). These films annealed in the oxidizing atmosphere have a visible emission band which can be used to fabricate light-emitting diodes.     

A study on morphology control and optical properties of ZnO nanorods synthesized by microwave heating

In this study, we present morphology control investigations on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods synthesized by microwave heating of a mixture of zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) precursors in deionized water (DI water). To study the morphology and structural variations of the obtained ZnO nanorods in different molar ratio of zinc nitrate hexahydrate to HMTA, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, Raman scattering, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were measured. XRD and SEM images are utilized to examine the crystalline quality as well as the morphological properties of the ZnO nanorods. It is found that morphology control can be achieved by simply adjusting the reactant concentrations and the molar ratio of zinc nitrate hexahydrate to HMTA. Raman scattering and PL spectroscopy measurements were demonstrated to study the size- and shape-dependent optical response of the ZnO nanorods. The Raman scattering result shows that the intensity of LO mode at around 576 cm^?1 decreases with the increase in the molar ratio of zinc nitrate hexahydrate to HMTA, indicating the reduction of defect concentrations in the synthesized ZnO nanorods. Room temperature PL spectrum of the synthesized ZnO nanorods reveals an ultraviolet (UV) emission peak and a broad visible emission. An enhancement of UV emission appears in the PL spectra as the molar ratio of zinc nitrate hexahydrate to HMTA increases, indicating that the defect concentration of the synthesized ZnO nanorods can be reduced by increasing the molar ratio.     

退火对TiO2薄膜形貌、结构及光学特性影响

利用射频磁控溅射技术在熔融石英基片上制备TiO<,2>薄膜,采用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、拉曼光谱以及透过谱研究了退火温度和退火气氛对TiO<,2>薄膜的结构、形貌和光学特性的影响.实验结果表明:在大气环境下退火,退火温度越.高,薄膜晶化越好,晶粒明显长大,温度高于700℃退火的薄膜,金红石相已明显形成.实验还发现,退火气氛对金红石相的形成是非常重要的,拉曼光谱反应出Ar气氛退火,抑制了金红石晶相的发育,薄膜仍以锐钛矿相为主.Ar气氛退火的薄膜在可见光范围内的透过率比大气退火的要低,并且由透过率曲线推知:金红石的光学带隙约为2.8 eV,比锐钛矿的光学带隙小0.2 eV.     

Effect of surface morphology on the mechanical properties of ZnO nanowires

Although studies of ZnO nanostructured materials have concentrated on the electric, optical, and magnetic properties, applicational devices with nanoscale moving parts usually suffer mechanical fatigue and failure for reasons that are less understood. Here, differing from vertical bending and tension measurements, conventional three-point bending tests are employed to study the elastic modulus and bending strength of ZnO nanowires (NWs) in an atomic force microscopy system. To shed new light on the extensive disagreement regarding the mechanical behavior of ZnO NWs, the effect of the surface morphology of the prepared NWs is mainly investigated. An average Young’s modulus of 148 GPa close to that of the bulk ZnO materials is obtained, and the size dependence is found to be unaffected by the detailed micro and macro surface morphology. On the other hand, the bending strain of 0.2–0.7% is one order of magnitude lower than that reported in the literature. It indicates that an irregular surface such as cracks, flaws, curved and neck-like surface, and body defects dominates the fracture properties of ZnO NWs, rather than the elastic behavior.     

Thickness effect on the evolution of morphology and optical properties of ZnO films

N-Al co-doped ZnO films with various thicknesses were deposited on glass substrates by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP). The crystalline microstructure, morphology, distribution of elements and photoluminescence properties of ZnO films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The XRD and FESEM results show that with the increase of film thickness the grain size increases and the grain shape changes from regular hexagonal sheet-like to wedge-shaped, even pyramidal. The PL spectra illustrate that there is an obvious red-shift for the emission center from ultraviolet to blue region, and the intensities of defects emissions increase with the increase of thickness. In addition, the electrical properties are proved to be strongly affected by film thickness.     

Influence of annealing temperature on the structural, optical and mechanical properties of ALD-derived ZnO thin films

ZnO thin films grown on Si(1 1 1) substrates by using atomic layer deposition (ALD) were annealed at the temperatures ranging from 300 to 500 °C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the annealed ZnO thin films are highly (0 0 2)-oriented, indicating a well ordered microstructure. The film surface examined by the atomic force microscopy (AFM), however, indicated that the roughness increases with increasing annealing temperature. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum showed that the intensity of UV emission was strongest for films annealed at 500 °C. The mechanical properties of the resultant ZnO thin films investigated by nanoindentation reveal that the hardness decreases from 9.2 GPa to 7.2 GPa for films annealed at 300 °C and 500 °C, respectively. On the other hand, the Young's modulus for the former is 168.6 GPa as compared to a value of 139.5 GPa for the latter. Moreover, the relationship between the hardness and film grain size appear to follow closely with the Hall-Petch equation.