Structural and optical properties of ZnO films grown on R-Al2O3 substrates

Structural and optical properties of ZnO films grown on R-Al2O3 substrates by atmospheric pressure chemical-vapor deposition were investigated using x -ray diffraction and photoluminescence. The (11 (2) over bar0) plane of the ZnO film tilted 0.3 degrees with respect to the (1 (1) over bar 02) plane of the substrate and rotated about 7 degrees around the normal of the sampl e surface. Symmetric (11 (2) over bar0) and asymmetric (20 (2) over bar2) x -ray reflection on ZnO films with different thicknesses were carried out. C omparison with photoluminescence measurements allowed us to conclude that t he optical properties of the ZnO films are predominately determined by the in-plane, rather than out-of-plane, structural features. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.