Multi-wavelength Raman scattering of nanostructured Al-doped zinc oxide

In this work we present a detailed Raman scattering investigation of zinc oxide and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films characterized by a variety of nanoscale structures and morphologies and synthesized by pulsed laser deposition under different oxygen pressure conditions. The comparison of Raman spectra for pure ZnO and AZO films with similar morphology at the nano/mesoscale allows to investigate the relation between Raman features (peak or band positions, width, relative intensity) and material properties such as local structural order, stoichiometry, and doping. Moreover Raman measurements with three different excitation lines (532, 457, and 325 nm) point out a strong correlation between vibrational and electronic properties. This observation confirms the relevance of a multi-wavelength Raman investigation to obtain a complete structural characterization of advanced doped oxide materials. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.