Heteroepitaxial growth of nonpolar Cu-doped ZnO thin film on MnS-buffered (100) Si substrate

The preparation of nonpolar ZnO and Cu-doped ZnO thin films on Si substrates was studied for the application to the fabrication of green-light-emitting diodes. The use of rocksalt MnS and wurtzite AlN as buffer layers is a key technology for achieving the heteroepitaxial growth of nonpolar ZnO thin film on a (100) Si substrate. X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements revealed that deposition under a high oxygen partial pressure (~1 Torr) can enhance the nonpolar crystallization of undoped ZnO, and can simultaneously suppress the formation of defects such as oxygen vacancies. These techniques can be also applied to the growth of Cu-doped ZnO. A room-temperature photoluminescence study revealed that nonpolar -oriented Cu-doped ZnO film exhibits enhanced green emission owing to the doped Cu ions.