Preparation and characteristics of ZnO films on freestanding diamond substrates

In this paper, preferred and fine grained polycrystalline ZnO films were deposited on smooth nucleation surfaces of freestanding thick diamond films (FTDF) by plasma-assisted metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The properties of the ZnO films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, glancing angle X-ray diffraction, room temperature photoluminescence spectra, and electron probe microanalysis. The results indicate that the morphological, structural, and optical properties of ZnO films are strongly dependent on the deposition procedures, especially the deposition temperature. The Zn/O atomic ratio plays an important role in the optical properties of ZnO films. The experimental results can help us improve our understanding of how to obtain ZnO films with excellent properties deposited on FTDF. The most significant improvements in morphological, structural, and optical properties of ZnO films are obtained by using the proper deposition temperature of 500 °C.