Structural and optical properties of epitaxial ZnO thin films on 4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) substrates prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Ji Hong Kim, Dae Hyung Cho, Wonyong Lee, Byung Moo Moon, Wook Bahng, Sang Cheol Kim, Nam Kyun Kim, Sang Mo Koo

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Epitaxially grown ZnO thin films on 4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) substrates were prepared by using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique at various substrate temperatures from room temperature to 600 °C. The crystallinity, in-plane relationship, surface morphology and optical properties of the ZnO films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements, respectively. XRD analysis showed that highly c-axis oriented ZnO films were grown epitaxially on 4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) with no lattice rotation at all substrate temperatures, unlike on other hexagonal-structured substrates, due to the very small lattice mismatch between ZnO and 4H-SiC of ∼5.49%. Further characterization showed that the substrate temperature has a great influence on the properties of the ZnO films on 4H-SiC substrates. The crystalline quality of the films was improved, and surfaces became denser and smoother as the substrate temperature increased. The temperature-dependent PL measurements revealed the strong near-band-edge (NBE) ultraviolet (UV) emission and the weak deep-level (DL) blue-green band emission at a substrate temperature of 400 °C.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)179-182
Number of pages4
JournalJournal of Alloys and Compounds
Volume489
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010 Jan 7

Keywords

  • Crystal growth
  • Luminescence
  • Thin films
  • X-ray diffraction

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Metals and Alloys
  • Materials Chemistry

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