Growth of crystalline ZnO thin films on silicon (100) and sapphire (0001) by pulsed laser deposition

Zinc oxide thin films have been grown on silicon (100) and sapphire (0001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The thin films deposited at different processing parameters were evaluated by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The influences of substrate temperature and laser fluence on the properties of the deposited thin films were studied. The full width at half maximum of (0002) x-ray diffraction lines of the films deposited on silicon and sapphire substrates reach a value as small as 0.25° and 0.18°, respectively. The relationship between the intensities of the peaks at 438 and 579 cm−1 in ZnO Raman spectra and deposition temperature were also investigated. Average roughness and surface morphology of the ZnO thin films deposited on Si substrates were evaluated by AFM.