Effect of the H2 plasma treatment of a seed layer on the synthesis of ZnO nanorods using a microwave hydrothermal method

The effect of H2 plasma treatment of a seed layer on the synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods is determined. Using an Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin film as a seed layer, well-aligned ZnO nanorods are rapidly grown on an indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate using a microwave hydrothermal method. The deposited AZO substrate was previously treated with H2 plasma. The effect of H2 plasma treatment of the seed layer on the alignment, growth rate, and crystallinity of the ZnO nanorods is determined. It is shown that the alignment and growth rate of the ZnO nanorods depend on the characteristics and roughness of the seed layer, which are improved by H2 plasma treatment. Various characterization methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), cathodoluminescence (CL), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) are used to determine the characteristic quality of the ZnO nanorods. A fundamental model of the effect of H2 plasma treatment on the seed layer and ZnO growth using a microwave hydrothermal process is also presented.