Dense and porous ZnO thin films produced by pulsed laser deposition

Dense and porous zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited onto silicon substrates in vacuum and in 100 mTorr O2 at room temperature by pulsed laser deposition using 15 ns krypton fluoride (KrF), λ = 248 nm, laser pulses with laser fluence of 3 J cm−2. The structural, morphological, optical and photoluminescence properties of the as-grown and annealed ZnO thin films were studied. O2 background gas during deposition and post-annealing treatment were essential to obtain a crystalline structure and strong ultraviolet (UV) luminescence emissions.