The influence of polarity during the MOVPE growth of GaN based sub-micrometer (sub-μm) rods has mostly been neglected up to now. In this paper we demonstrate that the surface polarity plays a crucial role for the morphology of the GaN sub-μm rods. Based on the differences between N-polar and Ga-polar surfaces, a model is suggested to explain the influence of various parameters on the morphology of GaN sub-μm rods for the first time. For Ga-polar GaN, the {10−11} r-planes, similar to N-polar (000−1) c-planes, are terminated by nitrogen atoms. These N-terminated surfaces can be passivated by hydrogen, which leads to a stable surface with low growth rates and therefore tends to keep a pyramidal shape with stable r-planes. For N-polar GaN, {10−1−1} r-planes can be modified by H2 etching, leading to the formation of more stable {1−100} m-planes, hence supporting the formation of sub-μm rods with vertical sidewalls.

We present a novel way for depositing material on the top surface of three-dimensional (3D) structures. This process supplies the possibility of applying a wide range of materials on the top of structures which are too high to be processed with conventional techniques. A planarization process or vertical sidewalls of the structures are not necessary.

Concerning optoelectronic devices fabricated by epitaxial methods, the combination of ZnO and GaN has promising aspects regarding their good optical properties and a relatively good lattice matching between both as compared to other foreign substrates like sapphire or silicon. Moreover ZnO nanopillar arrays may serve as a template for GaN nanopillar fabrication or for high quality GaN layers by lateral overgrowth of the ZnO nanopillars. In this work, we investigate the combination of two very different growth methods – aqueous chemical low temperature growth (ACG) for the ZnO nanopillar templates on silicon substrates and metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) for the GaN overgrowth – in order to show to which extent the very cost efficient ZnO templates suit the high demands of GaN MOVPE. By a combination of annealing and photoluminescence experiments we show that the properties of the heterostructures change significantly with temperature.

Zinc oxide (ZnO), with its excellent luminescent properties and the ease of growth of its nanostructures, holds promise for the development of photonic devices. The recent advances in growth of ZnO nanorods are discussed. Results from both low temperature and high temperature growth approaches are presented. The techniques which are presented include metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD), vapour phase epitaxy (VPE), pulse laser deposition (PLD), vapour-liquid-solid (VLS), aqueous chemical growth (ACG) and finally the electrodeposition technique as an example of a selective growth approach. Results from structural as well as optical properties of a variety of ZnO nanorods are shown and analysed using different techniques, including high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL), for both room temperature and for low temperature performance. These results indicate that the grown ZnO nanorods possess reproducible and interesting optical properties. Results on obtaining p-type doping in ZnO micro- and nanorods are also demonstrated using PLD. Three independent indications were found for p-type conducting, phosphorus-doped ZnO nanorods: first, acceptor-related CL peaks, second, opposite transfer characteristics of back-gate field effect transistors using undoped and phosphorus doped wire channels, and finally, rectifying I-V characteristics of ZnO: P nanowire/ZnO:Ga p-n junctions. Then light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on n-ZnO nanorods combined with different technologies (hybrid technologies) are suggested and the recent electrical, as well as electro-optical, characteristics of these LEDs are shown and discussed. The hybrid LEDs reviewed and discussed here are mainly presented for two groups: those based on n-ZnO nanorods and p-type crystalline substrates, and those based on n-ZnO nanorods and p-type amorphous substrates. Promising electroluminescence characteristics aimed at the development of white LEDs are demonstrated. Although some of the presented LEDs show visible emission for applied biases in excess of 10 V, optimized structures are expected to provide the same emission at much lower voltage. Finally, lasing from ZnO nanorods is briefly reviewed. An example of a recent whispering gallery mode (WGM) lasing from ZnO is demonstrated as a way to enhance the stimulated emission from small size structures.

We investigate the photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanorods grown by vapor phase epitaxy. The room temperature photoluminescence spectra exhibit an energy shift of about 80 meV to lower energy in comparison with that of bulk ZnO as well as ZnO epilayers. The emission band observed at 3.31 eV at low temperature dominates the photoluminescence at room temperature. The high internal quantum efficiency of about 33% is explained in terms of this band, which seems to result from excitons bound to surface defect states.

An overview of our nanostructures and thin layers fabrication technologies including MOCVD, vapour phase transport, MBE, chemical growth, electrodeposition is presented. The developed technologies provide control on the nanopillar characteristics, and still leaving the self-organisation mechanism untouched. Also fabrication of complicated heterostructures like quantum wells both as epitaxial layers or embedded into nanopillars was demonstrated. First results of the device applications of ZnO nanostructures as well as implementation of alternative ZnO nanostructures like nanopowders are discussed.

The structural and magnetic properties of Mn-doped ZnO nanopowder are investigated and compared to undoped ZnO crystals. Mn incorporation leads to an increase in the lattice constants as revealed by X-ray diffraction measurements. An inhomogeneous distribution of the Mn atoms within the nanopowder was detected by energy-dispersive X-ray and electron-energy-loss spectroscopy measurements. Magnetic features are investigated by means of SQUID magnetometry on ensembles of powder particles as well as by magnetic force microscopy to study the behavior of single grains.

We report on the fabrication of p-type ZnO:N layers using radical-source molecular beam epitaxy and post-growth annealing of the samples. Plasma-activated oxygen and nitrogen fluxes are supplied via a single plasma cell. The combination of low growth temperature (350 - 400 degrees C), slightly O-rich conditions, and post-growth annealing in the range of 650 - 800 degrees C results in efficient nitrogen p-doping with Hall hole concentration 3 x 10(17) cm(-3). The details of the structural and the electrical characterizations of the films are discussed.

This work investigates the photoluminescence properties of Zn1−xMgxO–ZnO single quantum wells, which have been fabricated by molecular-beam epitaxy. With increasing temperature from 13to300K the single quantum well-related emission peaks exhibit an irregular S-shaped (redshift-blueshift-redshift) behavior, which is in contrast with that ascribed to band gap shrinkage (redshift). In order to clarify the origin of this behavior, the temperature dependence of the integral photoluminescence intensity of the quantum well emission was studied and the relevant activation energies were calculated and correlated to its full width at half maximum, band offsets, and monolayer fluctuations.

We report a time-resolved study of the recombination dynamics in molecular beam epitaxy grown ZnO∕ZnMgO single quantum wells (SQWs) of 1.0–4.5nm width. The SQWs exhibit different emission properties, depending on both the well width and defect density. Stimulated emission has been achieved at room temperature in a separate confinement double heterostructure having a 3nm wide SQW as an active region. It has been found that a critical parameter for the lasing is the inhomogeneous broadening of both QW and barrier emission bands.

ZnO nanorods were grown on Si substrates by an aqueous chemical approach and subsequently doped by V implantation. Transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy reveal a severely defective material directly after the implantation process. Subsequent annealing leads to a partial recovery of the crystal structure. The magnetic features of ZnO:V nanorods were investigated by magnetic force microscopy. Images taken of ensembles as well as of single rods clearly display contrast, which is seen as a strong indication of ferromagnetism at room temperature.

ZnO thin films, ZnMgO/ZnO heterostructures and ZnO nanostructures were fabricated using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), vapour phase transport (VPT) and an aqueous chemical growth approach (ACG). The possibility to employ several fabrication techniques is of special importance for the realization of unique device structures. MBE was implemented for ZnO-based layer and heterostructure growth. Pronounced RHEED oscillations were used for growth control and optimisation, resulting in high quality ZnO and Zn1-xMgxO epilayers and heterostructures, as well as ZnMgO/ZnO quantum wells on sapphire and SiC substrates. A novel advanced VPT approach is developed and sapphire, SiC, ZnO epitaxial layers, and even plastic and glass were implemented as substrates for ZnO growth. The VPT fabrication of ZnO nanopillars, leading to well aligned, c-axis oriented nanopillars with excellent quality and purity is demonstrated. Successful steps were made towards device fabrication on ZnO basis. The nanopillar fabrication technique is combined with MBE technology: MBE-grown ZnMgO/ZnO quantum well structures were grown on ZnO nanopillars presenting significant progress towards nano-LEDs realization.

Wurtzite structure ZnMgO layers have been grown using radical-source molecular beam epitaxy on high-quality ZnO buffer layers grown on (000 1) sapphire substrates. The thickness of the ZnO buffer layers is 300 nm, with full width at half maxim of the HR-XRD (0002) rocking curves as low as 25 arcsec. In-situ Reflection High-Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED) was employed for the optimization of the ZnMgO growth. RHEED and X-Ray Diffractometry measurements did not reveal any phase change from the wurzite structure to the rocksalt structure. The C-lattice parameter of Zn1-xMgxO films decreased from 5.209 to 5.176 angstrom with increasing x to 0.2. The surface morphology of the samples was studied with atomic force microscopy. The root mean square roughness values of 200 nm thick ZnMgO (x = 0.2) was less than 1 nm. The main photoluminescence peak of Zn1-xMgxO shifted to as high as 3.77 eV owing to the increasing Mg composition of up to x = 0.2.(c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In this contribution, we compare the photoluminescence properties of ZnO nanorods and epilayers with those of bulk ZnO. Owing to the high aspect ratio (length of 4–14μm, diameter of 80–500nm), the characterized ZnO nanorods show very good optical properties. Due to the high surface-to-volume ratio in ZnO nanorods, surface excitons dominate at low temperature. The optical properties of nanorod ensembles improve with increasing nanorod length. The photoluminescence emission from free A excitons was intense in the ZnO layer at 13K.