Comparison of the optical properties of ZnO thin films grown on various substrates by pulsed laser deposition

Various substrates were compared for the investigation of the optical properties of ZnO thin films. ZnO thin films have been deposited on (I 0 0) p-type silicon substrates and (0 0 I) sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique using a Nd:YAG laser with the wavelength of 355 nm. Oxygen was used as ambient gas. Substrate temperatures were varied in the range of 200-600 degreesC at a fixed oxygen gas pressure of 350 mTorr. We have investigated substrate effect on the optical and structural properties of ZnO thin films using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.