Yeon-Sik Jung

Growth and properties of ZnO nanoblade and nanoflower prepared by ultrasonic pyrolysis

ZnO nanoblades and nanoflowers are synthesized using zinc acetate dihydrate Zn(CH3COO)2∙2H2O dissolved in distilled water by ultrasonic pyrolysis at 380–500°C. Thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry, x-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) were used to characterize the thermal properties, crystalline and optical features of the ZnO nanostructures. The results showed that at 400°C the formation of nanoblades resulted from the simultaneous precipitation and nucleation in zinc acetate precursor. At an elevated temperature of 450°C, decomposition was almost advanced and thus the size of nanopetal became smaller and aggregates became larger by as much as 60nm. The formation of aggregates is explained in terms of random nucleation model. Through PL measurement, nanoblade showed a strong near band-edge emission with negligible deep-level emission and free exciton ba...

Luminescence of bound excitons in epitaxial ZnO thin films grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Luminescence properties of ZnO films, which have been epitaxially grown on c-sapphire (0001) substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, are investigated by means of different excitation sources and their measurement conditions. With the increase of measurement temperature, photoluminescence spectra clearly present, the appearance of different bound-exciton peaks (I10 line) with an abrupt increase of emission intensity at the measurement temperature of 30-50K. Hypothetical explanations on the basis of thermalization effects, vibronic/rotational resonance states, and the involvement of the B-valence level in emission are given. In cathodoluminescence (CL), the deep level emission intensity was enlarged with the electron beam penetration depth due to the higher defect density near the interface between ZnO and the sapphire. From the CL image of the ZnO film, the dislocation density was estimated as 6×108-3×109∕cm2. The lasing phenomenon was observed at the threshold power density of 1.3MW∕cm2 at 300K.

Ferromagnetism in 200-MeV Ag+15-ion-irradiated Co-implanted ZnO thin films

Structural, electrical resistivity, and magnetization properties of 200-MeV Ag+15-ion-irradiated Co-implanted ZnO thin films are presented. The structural studies show the presence of Co clusters whose size is found to increase with increase of Co implantation. The implanted films were irradiated with 200-MeV Ag+15 ions to fluence of 1×1012ions∕cm2. The Co clusters on irradiation dissolve in the ZnO matrix. The electrical resistivity of the irradiated samples is lowered to half. The magnetization hysteresis measurements show ferromagnetic behavior at 300K, and the coercive field increases with the Co implantation. The ferromagnetism at room temperature is confirmed by magnetic force microscopy measurements. The results are explained on the basis of the close interplay between the electrical and the magnetic properties.

Solubility of Co clusters in Co-implanted ZnO thin films by 200 MeV Ag15+ ions irradiation

We have investigated the structural, electrical resistivity, pink noise (1/f noise) and magnetic properties of 200 MeV Ag15+ ions (fluence ~1 × 1012 ions cm−2) irradiated Co-implanted ZnO thin films. The ZnO films were grown on Al2O3 substrate by the PA-MBE technique and 80 keV Co ion implantation with 1 × 1016 ions cm−2 dose value. The structural studies of an unirradiated film show the presence of Co clusters, which dissolve in the ZnO matrix on swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation. The temperature-dependent electrical resistivity plots of pristine (unirradiated) and irradiated films demonstrated semiconducting nature. The resistivity data were fitted in the Motts variable range hopping (VRH) model and the activation energies were estimated. The magnitude of normalized noise SV/V2 increases with decrease in temperature and estimated Hooges parameters have higher values as compared to other semiconductors. We observe a clear magnetic hysteresis loop with coercivity ~65 Oe for both the films at room temperature, establishing the ferromagnetic nature. The correlation between the electrical transport and magnetic properties in the present system formulates it to be a potential aspirant for the spintronics-oriented devices.

Sulfuric Acid Treatment of Sapphire Substrates for Growth of High-Quality Epilayers

The chemical etching of sapphire substrates was performed to produce smooth surfaces on an atomic scale. The sapphire surface etched by using a H₂SO₄ solution showed a pit-free morphology and was very smooth as much as σ rms = 0.13 nm, that etched by using a mixture of H₂SO₄ and H₃PO₄ contained large pits with σ rms = 0.34 nm. The σ rms s and the number of the pits increased with increasing etching temperature. The sapphire etched by using H₂SO₄ at 320℃ had the best surface. These results provide important information on the effects of etching treatment on the structural properties of sapphire for the growth of high-quality epilayers.