Structural and optical properties of ZnO films grown on the AAO templates

Structural and optical properties of ZnO films grown on Al substrate and anodic alumina oxide (AAO) templates by rf magnetron reactive sputtering deposition were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic-force microscope (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL). We found that ZnO thin films on Al substrate show good C-axis orientation, while the orientation of ZnO film on AAO templates is disordered, this due to the fact that the crystalline of ZnO is greatly influenced by surface morphology of substrates. PL measurements show a blue band in the wavelength range of 400-500 nm caused by the interstitial Zn in the ZnO films. The intensity of emission peak of ZnO films deposited on AAO templates increases compared with that on the Al substrate. Combining electrical resistivity and carrier concentration measurements, we found that that the blue emission intensity is consistent with the concentration for the interstitial zinc in the ZnO films. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.