Properties of zinc oxide at low and moderate temperatures

The properties of zinc oxide are examined as an analog of gallium nitride over a wide range of temperatures and possible applications. Its economic and environmental advantages are noted, as well as its radiation hardness, compared to group III nitrides. Methods for growing films and nanostructures with high crystal perfection are proposed. In particular, a magnetron technique for layer-by-layer growth of films is implemented which makes it possible to obtain high structural perfection and substantial thicknesses unattainable by several other methods. The feasibility of producing monochromatic UV radiation from films excited by short-wavelength radiation and electrons is demonstrated; this means that they may be useable as short-wavelength radiation sources. Efficient field emission by ZnO nanostructures and films is demonstrated and opens up the prospect of their use in vacuum microelectronics equipment. Nitrogen-doped ZnO films, in particular, have been used to fabricate a phototransistor with a sensitivity two orders of magnitude higher than conventional detectors. The physical basis for creating LEDs for different colors based on ZnO films and solid solutions with CdO is discussed. The importance of studying the physics and technology of zinc oxide-based devices is emphasized. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3574502]