MOCVD growth and properties of ZnO thin films on LiNbO3 substrates

ZnO thin films were grown on (0 0 0 1) LiNbO3 substrates by the MOCVD technique. The substrate temperatures during growth were changed from 400 to 600 °C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the ZnO film showed a strong [0 0 2] reflection peak, and the peak intensity was dependent on substrate temperature. The ZnO columnar grains were highly oriented along the (0 0 2) direction when the film processing temperature was 600 °C. The optical transmission and PL results also indicated that highest crystalline quality of the ZnO films could be obtained at elevated temperatures.