Surface Morphology Study of Chemical Vapor Transport of ZnO Crystals

A chemical vapor transport (CVT) method was implemented to grow bulk ZnO crystals. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical microscope (OM) studies were carried out to characterize the surface properties of the grown crystal. The XRD result indicated the exposed solid-vapor interface of the as-grown crystal was composed of (0001) and faces. Using SEM and OM, we observed small hexagonal pyramids and microstructures formed of crosslines on the as-grown crystal and found hexagonal thermal etching pits on the surfaces of seed crystals. The formation, evolution, and distribution mechanisms of the microstructures were investigated.