Fabrication and strain investigation of ZnO nanorods on Si composing sol–gel and chemical bath deposition method

High density vertically aligned ZnO nanorods arrays were prepared on Si substrate by the simple and facile sol–gel and chemical bath deposition combination technology. ZnO nanorods, preferentially oriented along the c-axis, were of the hexagonal wurzite structure. The lattice constants of ZnO nanorods a was shrunken by about 0.004 nm, which can result in about 1.29% mismatch between ZnO nanorods and Si substrate. The Raman spectrum was also analyzed in detail, and the result indicates that the stress between ZnO nanorods and Si substrate was about 0.227 GPa, which can be ascribed to the stress relaxation effect of the ZnO nanorods. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) measurement result has shown a main deep level emission. The forming mechanism for ZnO nanorods was further analyzed.

► Vertically aligned ZnO nanorods prepared on Si substrates.
► About 1.29% mismatch was between ZnO nanorods and Si substrate.
► A main deep level emission was shown in ZnO nanorods.