Optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles embedded in a silicon nitride layer formed by sputtering and thermal treatment

Abstract

Transmission electron microscopy images of annealed ZnO/silicon nitride (SiNx) multilayer grown on Si (100) substrates showed that the ZnO nanoparticles were formed inside the SiNx layer. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of a sample consisting of ZnO/SiNx multilayer with a SiNx buffer layer annealed at 800 degrees C showed that only a strong ultraviolet (UV) emission peak around 376 nm, corresponding to the ZnO nanoparticles, appeared in the visible range. The full width at half maximum of the UV peak of the PL spectrum was approximately 13 nm indicative of the high-quality of the ZnO nanoparticles. The optical properties of the ZnO nanoparticles were enhanced with increasing thickness of the deposited ZnO thin film