Characterization of [ZnO]m[ZnMgO]n multiple quantum wells grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Thermal stability of single-crystalline [ZnO]m[Zn0.7Mg0.3O]n multiple quantum wells (MQWs) grown on a-plane sapphire substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy is reported. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that these MQWs were grown as designed with a fixed Zn0.7Mg0.3O barrier width of n=5nm and a series of ZnO well widths of m=1–8nm. Cathodoluminescence spectra from these MQWs consisted of two major peaks; one was the emission from the bound excitons in Zn0.7Mg0.3O barrier layers, and the other was that from the confined excitons in ZnO well layers. These structural and optical properties were found to be dramatically changed by the ex situ annealing treatments over 700 °C. These changes were presumably due to the onset of phase separation of the Zn0.7Mg0.3O barrier layers with pronounced Mg diffusion toward the ZnO wells.