New CVD-based method for the growth of high-quality crystalline zinc oxide layers

• Published in: Journal of crystal growth 2016-07, Vol.445, p.58-62
• Main Authors: Huber, Florian, Madel, Manfred, Reiser, Anton, Bauer, Sebastian, Thonke, Klaus
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aluminum nitride; Chemical vapor deposition; Chemical vapour deposition; Crystal structure; Gallium nitrides; Methane; Nucleation; Precursors; Semiconducting II–VI materials; Zinc; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 0022-0248; 1873-5002
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2016.04.001

High-quality zinc oxide (ZnO) layers were grown using a new chemical vapour deposition (CVD)-based low-cost growth method. The process is characterized by total simplicity, high growth rates, and cheap, less hazardous precursors. To produce elementary zinc vapour, methane (CH4) is used to reduce a ZnO powder. By re-oxidizing the zinc with pure oxygen, highly crystalline ZnO layers were grown on gallium nitride (GaN) layers and on sapphire substrates with an aluminum nitride (AlN) nucleation layer. Using simple CH4 as precursor has the big advantage of good controllability and the avoidance of highly toxic gases like nitrogen oxides. In photoluminescence (PL) measurements the samples show a strong near-band-edge emission and a sharp line width at 5K. The good crystal quality has been confirmed in high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD) measurements. This new growth method has great potential for industrial large-scale production of high-quality single crystal ZnO layers. •A new growth method for crystalline zinc oxide layers on different substrates is demonstrated.•By using methane (CH4) as reducing agent in a CVD process, high-quality ZnO layers were grown with high growth rates.•Use of cheap, less hazardous precursors.•Excellent material quality is proven by Photoluminescence (PL) and high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD).