Strong ultraviolet emission from zinc oxide thin films prepared by electrophoretic deposition

In this paper, we report a simple and efficient method to prepare high-quality nanocrystalline ZnO films by electrophoretic deposition. Absorption spectrum and transmission electron microscope image indicated that the average size of ZnO nanoparticles is about 9.5 nm. A strong ultraviolet emission peak at 384 nm is observed and the deep-level emission band is barely observed at room temperature. X-ray diffraction pattern revealed that the ZnO film has a polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure. The Raman spectrum showed a typical resonant multi-phonon process within the ZnO film. The frequency shift of 1 LO phonon was about 583 cm⁻¹.