Growth of ZnO nanocrystals in silica by rf co-sputter deposition and post-annealing

Thin films with ZnO nanocrystals in silica were synthesized by rf reactive magnetron co-sputter deposition and post-annealing. The films were deposited from a ZnO/Si composite target in an rf oxygen plasma. The deposited films were annealed in air/vacuum at high temperatures to grow ZnO nanocrystals. The deposited and annealed films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), uv–vis spectroscopy (UV–VIS) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. FT-IR results of the films show the vibrational features of Si–O–Si and Zn–O bonds. UV–VIS spectra of the deposited film shows the band edge of ZnO. The XRD results of the films annealed at 750 °C and 1000 °C indicate the growth of ZnO nanocrystals with average crystallite sizes between 7 nm and 26 nm. PL measurements of the deposited film show a broad visible luminescence peak which can be due to ZnO. These results suggest the growth of ZnO nanocrystals in silica matrix.