Improvement of ZnO thin film properties by application of ZnO buffer layers

• The effect of ZnO buffer layers prepared at different temperatures on the structural, optical and morphological properties of the ZnO main layer is reported. ZnO thin films (comprising a buffer and a main layer) were deposited on (0 0 0 1) c-sapphire substrates by PEMOCVD. Two-step growth regimes were applied to realize a homoepitaxial growth on ZnO buffers: low-temperature ZnO buffer layer deposited at Ts=300 °C and the main layer at Ts=500 °C, high-temperature ZnO buffer layer deposited at Ts=500 °C and the main layer at Ts=300 °C. For comparison, a sample grown at high-temperature Ts=500 °C by one-step procedure was used. The low-temperature buffer layer has shown the most beneficial effect on the structural and morphological properties, as expressed by the narrowing of the (0 0 2) diffraction peak (FWHM=0.07°) and crystallite size enlargement. However, the surface roughness of this sample is higher then that of the sample grown by one-step procedure and this needs further considerations. The photoluminescence results seem to support a conclusion that the application of a low-temperature buffer layer among the studied temperature regimes is the most advantageous. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nyckelord

A1. ZnO PEMOCVD

B1. LT ZnO buffer layer

B2. Structural quality

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