Optimal growth and thermal stability of crystalline Be0.25Zn0.75O alloy films on Al2O3(0001)

The influence of growth temperature on the synthesis of BexZn1-xO alloy films, grown on highly-mismatched Al2O3(0001) substrates, was studied by synchrotron x-ray scattering, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence measurements. A single-phase BexZn1-xO alloy with a Be concentration of x = 0.25, was obtained at the growth temperature, T-g = 400 degrees C, and verified by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It was found that high-temperature growth, T-g >= 600 degrees C, caused phase separation, resulting in a random distribution of intermixed alloy phases. The inhomogeneity and structural fluctuations observed in the BexZn1-xO films grown at high temperatures are attributed to a variation in Be composition and mosaic distribution via atomic displacement and strain relaxation. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.